Ultrastructural investigation on the cell membranes of the vomeronasal organ in the rat: a freeze-etching study.

The free surfaces and cell contacts in the epithelia of the vomeronasal organ of the rat were investigated by freeze-etching. The microvilli of receptor cells show a lower density of intramembranous particles (IMP) than the microvilli in the receptor-free epithelium. The ratio between the IMP on P- and E-face is approximately 11 : 1 in the receptor terminals, and 3.5 : 1 in the cilia and microvilli of the receptor-free epithelium. Although atypical in length and only poorly equipped with rootlet fibers, the cilia of the receptor-free epithelium are furnished with typical ciliary necklace structures of up to 10 rows of membrane particles. Differences in the density of IMP on the P-faces of different cilia are probably due to continual ciliogenesis and also due to the different age of cilia in the receptor-free epithelium. Zonulae occludentes show different configurations in the neuroepithelium and in the receptor-free epithelium. In the former, they show a tendency to cross-link and form facet-like patterns, reflecting a constant morphology and relative stability for this apical region. In the receptor-free epithelium the junctional rows of zonulae occludentes display only loosely interconnected networks and a tendency to orient parallel to each other and to the free surface. In addition to zonulae occludentes, typical square aggregations of IMP are observed in the receptor-free epithelium. They are not exclusively restricted to the zone of intensive cell contacts by means of fine interdigitating cell processes, and their function has yet to be identified experimentally.