The differentiation of follicular-like cells from the epithelium of Rathke's pouch grown in vitro.

The epithelial rudiment of 4 day-old quail embryo adenohypophysis, cultivated in vitro under conditions allowing glandular differentiation, displays peripheral cells that progressively acquire follicular cell features. They elongate, develop numerous microvilli, junctional complexes, interlocking membranes and bundles of microfilaments. These follicular-like cells derive from peripheral epithelial cells that, in situ, become glandular. These results show that follicular cells can develop from undifferentiated cells. They undergo this pathway of development, in all likelihood, as a result of perturbations in their microenvironment.