Ultrastructure and lectin cytochemistry of the cloacal ventral glands in the male Newt Triturus marmoratus marmoratus

Ventral glands are found in the cloacal walls of male urodele amphibians ex cept for sirenids. These glands are mucous, and secrete substances that wil l form part of the spermatophore used in transfer of sperm during fertiliza tion. Ventral glands are formed by secretory and ductal portions; both poss ess epithelial and myoepithelial cells with different characteristics. Urod eles have cyclic reproduction, and cloacal ventral glands show seasonal dif ferences with electron microscopy. The glycoproteins secreted by these glan ds have been studied by means of lectin histochemistry. The labeling was de tected mainly in the nuclei, rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complex, an d cytosol. Secretory granules in these glands are composed by mucous glycop roteins that bind PNA lectin (which binds galactose) and SEA and HPA lectin s (N-acetylgalactosamine), UEA-I (fucose), and LcA (glucose and/or mannose) . These findings suggest that the mucins secreted by ventral glands contain both N- and O-linked oligosaccharides. Ventral glands secrete higher quant ity and more diverse mucous substances in the reproductive period, as confi rmed by lectin-histochemical reactions. Based on these results, the major s imilarity between ventral cloacal glands and accessory mammalian glands, ca n be established with bulbourethral glands. Microsc. Res. Tech. 45:122-129, 1999. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.