Parotid salivary gland ultrastructure in an omnivorous neotropical bat: evolutionary diversity at the cellular level |
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| Authors: | BERNARD TANDLER CARLETON J PHILLIPS TOSHIKAZU NAGATO |
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| Institution: | B. Tandler &T. Nagato, Department of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, U.S.A. T. Nagato (present address), Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ehime University School of Medicine, Shizuhawa, Shigenobu, Onsen-gun, Ehime 791–02, Japan.;C. J. Phillips (address for correspondence), Department of Biology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11550, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | The parotid salivary gland in an omnivorous neotropical bat, Carollia perspicillata (L.), was studied by transmission electron microscopy and compared to the parotid gland in other species of bats and in mammals in general. The parotid acinar secretory granules were found to be unique among mammals: they consist of a finely punctate matrix containing a variety of electron dense inclusions ranging from punctate densities to complex cage-like geodesic structures. The parotid acinar product in Carollia perspicillata is intermediate in morphology between that formed by homologous secretory cells in insectivorous/carnivorous bats and that in frugivorous bats. Both the intercalated and striated ducts probably release additional secretory products into the saliva. |
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