Reconstruction of Oviduct and Demonstration of Epithelial Fate Determination in Mice1

Abstract

The mouse oviductal epithelium is a simple monolayer until Postnatal Day 7 and subsequently consists of differentiated secretory cells and ciliated cells. In adult oviduct, the two types of epithelial cells are unevenly distributed; ciliated cells are dominant in the ampulla and secretory cells are dominant in the isthmus. Recombinants of enzymatically separated epithelial and mesenchymal tissues of oviducts were grafted under kidney capsule for 4 wk. The recombinants developed structures with a lumen covered with a monolayer of ciliated cells and secretory cells, demonstrating that the recombinant tissues reconstructed oviductal structure. Geographically (ampulla versus isthmus) heterotypic recombinants were prepared from neonatal oviducts at Day 3. The epithelia in reconstructed oviducts took the patterns of cell distribution depending on the origin of the mesenchymal tissues. The results indicate that the mesenchyme geographically has distinct abilities to determine undifferentiated epithelial cells to ciliated cells or secretory cells in the mouse oviduct.

Follistatin-like-1, a diffusible mesenchymal factor determines the fate of epithelium

“…Our recent study (31) and the present study showed that the fate of oviductal epithelial cells is determined around P3-P5. Therefore, Fstl1 must be expressed during this period.…”

“…Our recent study has revealed that undetermined epithelial cells coexist with cilial and secretory epithelial cells in perinatal oviducts (31), suggesting that epithelial fate-determining mechanisms become activated around postnatal days 3-5 (P3-P5). Accordingly, clonal epithelial cell lines E1 (Fig.…”

“…To examine this question, we recently established an experimental method in which undetermined oviductal epithelial cells can differentiate into ciliated cells and secretory cells when recombined with mesenchyme and grown under the kidney capsule (31). This method was adopted to evaluate whether E1 and B1 epithelial cells are undetermined.…”

“…The method for oviductal tissue recombination was developed in our recent study (31). See SI Experimental Procedures for details.…”

Celsr1 is required for the generation of polarity at multiple levels of the mouse oviduct

“…About 80 percent of epithelial cells are ciliated in the infundibulum (Agduhr, 1927;Stewart and Behringer, 2012;Yamanouchi et al, 2010), which is the region close to the open end of the oviduct. Although the myosalpinx contractions also play roles in the transportation of ova, the ciliary movements at the infundibulum are sufficient to generate oviductal flow and to carry the oocytes towards the uterus (Halbert et al, 1989;Halbert et al, 1976;Shi et al, 2011).…”