Summary
Recent findings indicate that Malassez epithelium (ME) consists of a heterogeneous epithelial cell population. The aim of this study was to investigate the identity of these cells using light and electron microscopy, using protein gene product 9.5 (PGP-9.5). Positive PGP-9.5 immunoreactive (IR) products were recognized in the ground substance of the epithelial cells in both human and cat periodontal ligament (PDL). These immunopositive cells in the cat ME shared the ultrastructural features of Merkel cells (MCs). No neural elements were observed in the vicinity of the cat ME. However, a close relationship between PGP-9.5 IR nerves and immunopositive epithelial cells in the human ME was revealed. This ultra-structural evidence demonstrates the existence of non-innervated MCs in cat ME and suggests the existence of innervated MCs in human ME.
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© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Tadokoro, O., Inoue, K., Maeda, T., Kozawa, Y., Kvinnsland, I.H., Radunovic, V.V. (2003). Merkel Cells in Malassez Epithelium. In: Baumann, K.I., Halata, Z., Moll, I. (eds) The Merkel Cell. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10358-6_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10358-6_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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