ACTA VETERINARIA ET ZOOTECHNICA SINICA ›› 2019, Vol. 50 ›› Issue (10): 2119-2128.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2019.10.019

• BASIC VETERINARY MEDICINE • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Comparison of Histologic Characteristics in Submandibular Gland between Tibetan Sheep and Big-tail Sheep

YANG Jie, YUAN Ligang*, SONG Xiao, WANG Qianmei   

  1. College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
  • Received:2019-05-05 Online:2019-10-23 Published:2019-10-23

Abstract: In order to analyze the physiological function of submandibular gland of ruminant and provide information about histomorphology, we compared the histologic structure and the characteristic expression of EGF, EGFR and eNOS between Tibetan sheep and Big-tail sheep living in Tibet Plateau pastoral areas in this study. The tissue structure of submandibular gland and the localization and distribution of EGF, EGFR and eNOS in Tibetan sheep and Big-tail sheep were observed by special staining method, immunohistochemical SP method and immunofluorescence method. Results were as follows:The proportion of serous acinus in Tibetan sheep submandibular gland was larger than that in Big-tail sheep. The AB, PAS and AB-PAS staining were mainly positive in mucinous acinus and mixed gonadal vesicle but not in serous acinus. The expression of EGF in striated tube, intercalated duct epithelial cells and serous acinus of Tibetan sheep were significantly lower than that of Big-tail sheep, and the positive expression of EGFR in submandibular gland of Tibetan sheep was higher than that of Big-tail sheep. the eNOS was positive in serous acinus and striated duct in both of the two kinds of sheep. However, EGF, EGFR and eNOS were expressed negative in mucinous acinus. Statistical analysis showed that the expression levels of EGF and eNOS in Tibetan sheep were significantly lower than that in Big-tail sheep (P<0.01), while the EGFR in Tibetan sheep was significantly greater than that in Big-tail sheep in serous acinar striated tube basement membrane (P<0.05). Taken together, we suggest that the submandibular gland in Tibetan sheep mainly contain serous acinus and strongly positive expression of EGF in submandibular gland of both two kinds of sheep in striated duct basilar membrane, indicating that EGF is mainly secreted in striated duct and the binding sites of EGF and EGFR are mainly in striated duct basilar membrane. It plays an important role in proliferation and secretion of serous acinar cells. Furthermore, the eNOS showing strongly positive expression in both serous cells and striatum epithelial cells may be related to stress reaction under cold and low oxygen environment.

CLC Number: