Gut- Associated Lymphoid T issue (GALT)-Dome Areas

Dome areas 2 bulge from the lymphatic tissue 1 of the submucosal tissue into the intestinal lumen. In comparison with the epithelium from mucous membranes of the large intestines 3 , the epithelium over the dome areas shows special attributes: there are no microvilli , crypts or mucous-producing goblet cells. Instead of microvilli, these specialize d epithelial cells show microfolds at their surfaces (microfolds cells, M-cells). M-cells can take up antigenic materials from the lumen and transport it to the lymphatic tissue.  M-cells cannot be identified using histological routine preparations and light microscopy. M-cells from a rabbit contain a lot of vimentin as a component of intermediary filaments. It was therefore use d here as a marker for the presence of M-cells. The immunohistochemical localization of vimentin pro-duce d black precipitates in the epithelium.  Vermiform appendix of a rabbit.

1 Lymph follicles

2 Dome areas

3 Mucous membrane from the large intestine

4 Tunica muscularis

Stain: immunohistochemical localization of vimentin; differential interference contrast im-aging; magnification: × 80

References

Kuehnel, W.(2003). Color Atlas of Cytology, Histology, and Microscopic Anatomy. 4^th edition . Institute of Anatomy Universitätzu Luebeck Luebeck, Germany . Thieme Stuttgart · New York .