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Histology and Ultrastructure of the Esophagus in European Beaver ( Castor fiber) Displays Features Adapted to Seasonal Changes in Diet. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13040635. [PMID: 36830422 PMCID: PMC9951693 DOI: 10.3390/ani13040635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The European beaver is a herbivorous rodent whose diet changes seasonally, and in winter consists of large quantities of woody plants. It is distinguished among other mammals by a unique organization of the stomach that comprises the cardiogastric gland and by the unusual process of mucus formation in the gastric mucosa. The aim of study was to (i) characterize the structure of the beaver esophagus with particular attention to the mucosal epithelium; (ii) compare the histological structure of the esophagi collected in spring, summer, and winter; (iii) provide preliminary data on the structure of the esophagus in beaver fetuses. The study was conducted on esophagi of 18 adult beavers captured in Poland in April, August, and December, and on 3 fetal organs. The results obtained in adults show that the mucosa is lined with thick stratified squamous keratinized epithelium with a structure similar to that of the skin epidermis. Ultrastructural studies reveal the presence of multiple lamellar and non-lamellar bodies in granular cells, whose morphology and location gradually change while reaching the upper epithelial layers. The muscularis mucosa comprises a layer of longitudinally oriented bundles of smooth muscle cells. Both mucosa and submucosa do not comprise any glands. The thick muscularis externa consists mainly of internal circular and external longitudinal layers of striated muscle fibers. The keratinized layer of mucosa epithelium was 2-3-fold thicker in esophagi collected in winter than in those collected in spring and summer, while the epithelial cell layer thickness remained unchanged regardless of the season. Immunolabeling for proliferating cell nuclear antigen shows a higher index of epithelium proliferation in esophagi collected in winter than in spring and summer. No seasonal differences were noted in other layers of the esophagus. Fetal organs have epithelium covered with a keratinized layer, thinner than in adults, and the muscularis externa comprises both striated and smooth muscle cells.
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The Dorsal Integument of the Southern Long-Nosed Armadillo Dasypus hybridus (Cingulata, Xenarthra), and a Possible Neural Crest Origin of the Osteoderms. Discussing Evolutive Consequences for Amniota. J MAMM EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-021-09538-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Toledo N, Boscaini A, Pérez LM. The dermal armor of mylodontid sloths (Mammalia, Xenarthra) from Cueva del Milodón (Última Esperanza, Chile). J Morphol 2021; 282:612-627. [PMID: 33569815 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Dermal ossifications (osteoderms, dermal ossicles, osteoscutes) appear independently in various tetrapod lineages. In mammals, however, dermal ossifications are only present in some members of Xenarthra. This clade includes Cingulata (armadillos and their relatives), and Pilosa, including Vermilingua (anteaters) and Folivora (sloths). In extant xenarthrans, osteoderms are invariably present in cingulates whereas they are absent in pilosans. Among extinct sloths, however, a limited number of taxa possessed dermal ossifications. Records of mummified skins of ground sloths bearing osteoderms found in Cueva del Milodón (Southern Chile), with a late Pleistocene age, allowed us to analyze their micro- and macroscopic morphology. The main goal of this study is to closely examine a portion of a mylodontid skin portion using radiography. The arrangement, morphology and internal structure of the ossicles are analyzed and the results are discussed in the context of previous research. The results we obtained indicate that ossicles vary in shape and size, and the integument has four different patterns of arrangement of the ossicles: that is, areas without ossicles, disorganized ossicles, rows, and mosaic areas. The latter has two variants, with clusters of ossicles forming rosettes or stars. Thin sections of the ossicles allowed us to recognize and describe anatomical features of the bone and its mode of growth. Finally, paleobiological and functional considerations of the dermal armor are discussed along with its phylogenetic and chronological implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Néstor Toledo
- División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), Av. 60 and 122, La Plata, Buenos Aires, B1900FWA, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - CONICET, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alberto Boscaini
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - CONICET, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA-CONICET), DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Int. Guiraldes 2160, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1428EGA, Argentina
| | - Leandro Martín Pérez
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - CONICET, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,División Paleozoología Invertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), Av. 60 and 122, La Plata, Buenos Aires, B1900FWA, Argentina
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Diessler ME, Migliorisi AL, Gomez Castro MG, Favaron PO, Zanuzzi CN, Negrete J, Miglino MA, Barbeito CG. Term placenta of the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina). Placenta 2020; 100:24-29. [PMID: 32814234 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2020.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The pinnipeds' placenta has been described as zonary, annular, labyrinthic and endotheliochorial, like that of the terrestrial carnivores. This article describes the placenta of Mirounga leonina, a phocid pinniped, focusing on some morphological features related to fetal nutrition. METHODS Placental samples from three elephant seals were collected and conditioned after natural delivery at the Antarctic Specially Protected Area 132. Histological and ultrastructural studies were conducted; cytokeratins, vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin, and desmin proteins were detected using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS The placentas were zonary, lobed, belt-shaped, and showed multiple vivid orange areas, which corresponded to bilirubin crystalline pigment found among chorionic villi and inside trophoblast cells. In the labyrinth, cytotrophoblast cells were isolated and there was a scant syncytium interposed between maternal and fetal vessels. Fetal vessels were small, round, and frequently intratrophoblastic, while maternal vessels were large, irregular, sinuous, and thin-walled. Vimentin and actin were detected in some scattered non-vascular cells throughout the labyrinth. Broad areas of degenerated and necrotic maternal components were also observed. DISCUSSION The placentas of pinniped and fissiped carnivores share several traits. However, some remarkable features might maximize respiratory efficiency, collaborating to endure deep-diving hypoxia. Some of them, as the notably large sinuous maternal capillaries and fetal capillary indentation into the syncytium, are shared, e.g., by Phocidae and Mustelidae. Besides hemotropic nutrition taking place through an extremely narrow barrier, the abundant necrotic material and hematic products might allow substantial endocytosis of detritus even in term placentas, in this species giving birth to precocious offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónica Elizabeth Diessler
- Laboratorio de Histología y Embriología Descriptiva, Experimental y Comparada (LHYEDEC), Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (FCV, UNLP), La Plata, Argentina.
| | | | - María Gimena Gomez Castro
- Laboratorio de Histología y Embriología Descriptiva, Experimental y Comparada (LHYEDEC), Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (FCV, UNLP), La Plata, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.
| | - Phelipe Oliveira Favaron
- Departamento de Cirurgia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | | | - Javier Negrete
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina; Departamento de Biología de Predadores Tope, Instituto Antártico Argentino, Dirección Nacional del Antártico, CABA, Argentina.
| | - María Angélica Miglino
- Departamento de Cirurgia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Claudio Gustavo Barbeito
- Laboratorio de Histología y Embriología Descriptiva, Experimental y Comparada (LHYEDEC), Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (FCV, UNLP), La Plata, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.
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Nasoori A. Formation, structure, and function of extra-skeletal bones in mammals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:986-1019. [PMID: 32338826 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This review describes the formation, structure, and function of bony compartments in antlers, horns, ossicones, osteoderm and the os penis/os clitoris (collectively referred to herein as AHOOO structures) in extant mammals. AHOOOs are extra-skeletal bones that originate from subcutaneous (dermal) tissues in a wide variety of mammals, and this review elaborates on the co-development of the bone and skin in these structures. During foetal stages, primordial cells for the bony compartments arise in subcutaneous tissues. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition is assumed to play a key role in the differentiation of bone, cartilage, skin and other tissues in AHOOO structures. AHOOO ossification takes place after skeletal bone formation, and may depend on sexual maturity. Skin keratinization occurs in tandem with ossification and may be under the control of androgens. Both endochondral and intramembranous ossification participate in bony compartment formation. There is variation in gradients of density in different AHOOO structures. These gradients, which vary according to function and species, primarily reduce mechanical stress. Anchorage of AHOOOs to their surrounding tissues fortifies these structures and is accomplished by bone-bone fusion and Sharpey fibres. The presence of the integument is essential for the protection and function of the bony compartments. Three major functions can be attributed to AHOOOs: mechanical, visual, and thermoregulatory. This review provides the first extensive comparative description of the skeletal and integumentary systems of AHOOOs in a variety of mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Nasoori
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0818, Japan
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Scarano AC, Ciancio MR, Barbeito-Andrés J, Barbeito CG, Krmpotic CM. Micromorphology of osteoderms in Dasypodidae (Cingulata, Mammalia): Characterization and 3D-reconstructions. J Morphol 2019; 281:258-272. [PMID: 31880831 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Revised: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Osteoderms are present in a variety of extinct and extant vertebrates, but among mammals, the presence of osteoderms is essentially restricted to armadillos (Cingulata, Dasypodidae). Osteoderms have been proposed to exhibit a variety of functionalities in Dasypodidae, mainly protection and thermoregulation, and they have been considered as one of the synapomorphies of this group. In this study, we use high-resolution microcomputed tomography to describe the osteoderm micromorphology of several extant species of Dasypodidae in a comparative context. This study allowed the identification, 3D-reconstruction and volume quantification of different internal structures of osteoderms as well as their interrelations. This detailed characterization of the internal osteoderm morphology was compared in a phylogenetic context to assess the evolutionary trends of the species involved. This enables the identification of distinctive patterns for the most widely recognized clades, the Dasypodinae and Euphractinae with a morphological homogeneity in the microstructure of their osteoderms, in comparison with Tolypeutinae where it has not been possible to establish a common morphological pattern. The most important features for linage differentiation is the degree of compaction of the osteoderms, the number of cavities and the development of hairs. It is likely that the differential development of the various structures occurred as adaptive response to climate changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejo C Scarano
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Morfología Evolutiva y Desarrollo (MORPHOS), Museo de la Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, La Plata, Argentina.,Universidad Nacional de Avellaneda (UNDAV), Avellaneda, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martin R Ciancio
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Morfología Evolutiva y Desarrollo (MORPHOS), Museo de la Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Jimena Barbeito-Andrés
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,ENyS, Estudios en Neurociencias y Sistemas Complejos, CONICET, Hospital El Cruce Dr, "Néstor C. Kirchner", Universidad Arturo Jauretche, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Claudio G Barbeito
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Histología y Embriología Descriptiva, Experimental y Comparada (LHYEDEC), Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, UNLP, La Plata, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Cecilia M Krmpotic
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Morfología Evolutiva y Desarrollo (MORPHOS), Museo de la Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, La Plata, Argentina
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An Overview of the Presence of Osteoderms in Sloths: Implications for Osteoderms as a Plesiomorphic Character of the Xenarthra. J MAMM EVOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-017-9415-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Krmpotic CM, Loza CM, Negrete J, Scarano AC, Carlini AA, Guerrero A, Barbeito CG. Integument in Antarctic seals: A comparative study and its relation to extreme environments. ACTA ZOOL-STOCKHOLM 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/azo.12212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Mariana Krmpotic
- CONICET; La Plata Argentina
- División de Paleontología Vertebrados; Museo de La Plata; La Plata Provincia de Buenos Aires Argentina
- Cátedra de Histología y Embriología; Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Universidad Nacional de La Plata; La Plata Provincia de Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Cleopatra Mara Loza
- CONICET; La Plata Argentina
- División de Paleontología Vertebrados; Museo de La Plata; La Plata Provincia de Buenos Aires Argentina
- Cátedra de Histología y Embriología; Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Universidad Nacional de La Plata; La Plata Provincia de Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Javier Negrete
- Departamento Biología de Predadores Tope; Instituto Antártico Argentino; Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Universidad Nacional de La Plata; La Plata Argentina
| | - Alejo Carlos Scarano
- CONICET; La Plata Argentina
- División de Paleontología Vertebrados; Museo de La Plata; La Plata Provincia de Buenos Aires Argentina
- Departamento de Ambiente y Turismo; Universidad Nacional de Avellaneda; Avellaneda Provincia de Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Alfredo Armando Carlini
- CONICET; La Plata Argentina
- División de Paleontología Vertebrados; Museo de La Plata; La Plata Provincia de Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Alicia Guerrero
- Mammal Lab; Evolution and Ecology Research Centre; School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences; University of New South Wales; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Claudio Gustavo Barbeito
- CONICET; La Plata Argentina
- Cátedra de Histología y Embriología; Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Universidad Nacional de La Plata; La Plata Provincia de Buenos Aires Argentina
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Krmpotic CM, Ciancio MR, Carlini AA, Castro MC, Scarano AC, Barbeito CG. Comparative histology and ontogenetic change in the carapace of armadillos (Mammalia: Dasypodidae). ZOOMORPHOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00435-015-0281-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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