Figure 3
From: Mechanism of primitive duct formation in the pancreas and submandibular glands: a role for SDF-1
Primitive duct morphogenesis occurs by transition from epithelial mass to monolayers in the pancreas and in the SMG. Pancreatic sections from e10.5 to e15.5 (A) and SMG sections from e13.5 to e16.5 (B) embryos were examined by immunofluorescence using antibodies directed against ZO-1 and E-cadherin. Both organs show that duct development occurs by remodeling of a mass of epithelial cells into polarized monolayers. Before remodeling, E-cadherin is expressed all around the cells, whereas it is restricted to the baso-lateral membranes in the monolayered epithelium. In the latter, ZO-1 (tight junction) separates the E-cadherin-negative apical pole from the E-cadherin-positive lateral domains (insets). * indicates the central duct, in connection with the duodenum (A). Scale bars, 50 μm.