[Appearance of dendritic cells in the basal layer of the corneal epithelium during metamorphosis of the grass frog Rana temporaria L].

A population of dendritic cells was found at the light optic level in the basal layer of the corneal epithelium in Rana temporaria L. The cells had wide short processes which penetrated between neighboring epithelial cells. The bases lied on the basal membrane while the bodies are slightly elongated perpendicularly to the epithelium surface. The appearance of dendritic cells coincided in time with the beginning of metamorphosis of the tadpoles and their number increased by the end of metamorphosis. The dendritic cells we described were similar in their morphology to the Langerhans cells.