[Morphology of the marginal lingual papillae in newborn piglets]

The morphology of the marginal lingual papillae in eight newborn pigs aged 1-5 days was examined at the light-microscopical level, as well as, for the first time, using electron transmission and scanning methods. The papillae marginales are arranged tuft-like or rosetted with chief and accessory papillae, the individual papillae varying considerably in shape. Leaf-, tongue- or fingerlike and conical shapes predominate. The stratified squamous epithelium is either keratinized, resembling the epidermal differentiation pathway, or non-keratinized, according to the mucosal pathway. The characteristic morphology of keratinocyte differentiation is shown with special reference to the establishment of the permeability barrier. The connective tissue papillae are intensively surface-enlarged by means of multiple fingerlike protrusions.