Research Article

Ultrastructural and Molecular Changes in the Developing Small Intestine of the Toad Bufo regularis

Figure 5

Electron micrographs of the anterior portion of the small intestine of the postmetamorphic stage 66 showing the following. (a): adult intestinal epithelial (AE) cells rest on a thin basal lamina (BL). (b): columnar cells of microvilli (MV) project into the intestinal lumen. A terminal web (TW) can also be seen. The lateral cell borders of two adjacent cells are joined near their apices by a series of desmosomes (D). Mitochondria (Mi) (arrows) and rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) are present beneath the specialized cell border. (c) and (d): adult epithelium and connective tissue interface. The BL (arrow head) is thin and continuous. (e): adult epithelium and connective tissue interface. The lymphocyte (Lm) in the connective tissue (Ct). (f): an ordinary fibroblast (F) surrounded by collagen fibers in the Ct. Scale bar = 1 μm.
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