[PAS-positive epithelial cells in the deferent duct in mice: light microscopic observations]

The deferent duct in adult mice was observed by light microscopy, mainly in methacrylate sections stained with PAS, hematoxylin and fast green. A region of the deferent duct just following the epididymal duct is lined with the principal cells with stereocilia and epithelial cells containing strongly PAS-positive granules. The PAS-positive epithelial cells have no stereocilia and show PAS reaction in the tytoplasm just under the luminal surface. The PAS-positive granules are usually less than 1 micron in diameter, often seen in 1 to 2 micron wide vacuoles, and distributed densely in the supranuclear or infranuclear cytoplasm, or occasionally in the whole cytoplasm. The granules or contents of the vacuoles reveal to have acid phosphatase. These cells occupy 5 to 10% of the epithelial cells lining the deferent duct at the region of the junction with the epididymal tail. The PAS-positive epithelial cells of the deferent duct, as well as the clear cells of the epididymal duct, may function in relation to the PAS-positive material in the lumen of the duct.