Histology and Ultrastructure of Transitional Changes in Skin Morphology in the Juvenile and Adult Four‐Striped Mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio)

Abstract

The four-striped mouse has a grey to brown coloured coat with four characteristic dark stripes interspersed with three lighter stripes running along its back. The histological differences in the skin of the juvenile and adult mouse were investigated by Haematoxylin and Eosin and Masson Trichrome staining, while melanocytes in the skin were studied through melanin-specific Ferro-ferricyanide staining. The ultrastructure of the juvenile skin, hair follicles, and melanocytes was also explored. In both the juvenile and adult four-striped mouse, pigment-containing cells were observed in the dermis and were homogeneously dispersed throughout this layer. Apart from these cells, the histology of the skin of the adult four-striped mouse was similar to normal mammalian skin. In the juvenile four-striped mouse, abundant hair follicles of varying sizes were observed in the dermis and hypodermis, while hair follicles of similar size were only present in the dermis of adult four-striped mouse. Ultrastructural analysis of juvenile hair follicles revealed that the arrangement and differentiation of cellular layers were typical of a mammal. This study therefore provides unique transition pattern in the four-striped mouse skin morphology different from the textbook description of the normal mammalian skin.

Snout cutis of the domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus, Linnaeus, 1758): Using light and transmission electron microscopy

“…For tightness of the junction between the dermis and the epidermis, the hemidesmosomes were found, while the desmosomes were presented in abundant numbers at the level of stratum basale to ensure the adhesion between the keratinocytes. The morphometric and histological studies of the skin have been broadly concentrated in a few mammalian animal groups including the four‐Striped Mouse (Stewart, Ajao, & Ihunwo, 2013), Brandt's hedgehog (Bazm et al, 2020), Pinnipeds (Khamas, Smodlaka, Leach‐Robinson, & Palmer, 2012), and Sphynx feline (Genovese, Johnson, Lamb, & Gram, 2014). The snout skin of the domestic pig ( Sus scrofa domesticus ) was composed of the epidermis and the dermis (cutis).…”

Effect of puerarin on melanogenesis in human melanocytes and vitiligo mouse models and the underlying mechanism

“…Paraffin wax tissue blocks were sectioned at 6 mm, and then hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was performed. The detail methods were described previously (Stewart, Ajao, & Ihunwo, 2013). To further distinguish the differences between the various groups, Lillie staining was also performed.…”

Functional morphology of the trunk and paw pad skin of the African palm squirrel (Epixerus ebii)

“…The integument connects the animal with the external environment and protects underlying organs from mechanical trauma and infection. Several studies have shown that the rodent integumentary properties are habitatspecific, and vary even for rodents of the same genus but diverse habitats (4)(5)(6). In the light of this, the present study aims to describe the gross and histologic structures of the trunk and paw pad skin of the African palm squirrel in relation to its habitat.…”