An ultrastructural study of differentiation of pyriform cells and their contribution to oocyte growth in representative squamata.

An electron microscopic study of the differentiation of pyriform cells and their contribution to oocyte growth in three lizards (Tarentola mauritanica, Cordylus wittifer, Platysaurus intermedius) and one colubrid snake (Coluber viridiflavus) revealed that pyriform cells differentiate from small follicle cells via intermediate cells after establishing an intercellular bridge with the oocyte (see also Hubert: Bull Soc Zool Fr 102:151-158, 1977; Filosa et al: J Embryol Exp Morphol 54:5-15 1979; Klosterman: J Morphol 192:125-144, 1987). Once differentiated, pyriform cells display ultrastructural features indicative of synthetic activity, including abundant ribosomes, Golgi membranes, vacuoles, mitochondria, and lipid droplets. These cellular components extend to the apex of the cell at the level of the intercellular bridge, suggesting that constituents of pyriform cells may be transferred to the oocyte. Furthermore, we demonstrate for the first time that pyriform cells incorporate exogenous yolk. The yolk is segregated inside maturing yolk granules that form in the pyriform cell in the same manner as described for vitellogenic oocytes in non-mammalian vertebrates (see Wallace: Developmental Biology, A Comprehensive Synthesis 127-177, 1985). It is the first clear evidence that pyriform cells and the oocyte may fulfill similar vitellogenic functions. The establishment of an intercellular bridge may represent a crucial event in the development of an integrated system in which pyriform cells and oocyte cooperate.