Electron microscopical study on the cecal development in fetuses and neonates in Korean native goats

The morphological studies on the cecal development in the 60-, 90-, and 120-day-old fetuses and the newborns of Korean native goats were investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The results were summarized as follows; Scanning electron microscopic studies: 1. In the 60-day-old fetuses, fold-like shpaes protrusion oon the cecal mucosa surface appeared. In the 90-day-old fetuses, the cecal villi appeared to be columnar shpaes. In the 120-day-old fetuses, the cecal villi showed variou tongue-like or columnar shpaes. In the newborns, only the rudimental trace of the villi and the intestinal glands were observed. 2. In the 60-day-old fetuses, the cecal epithelia were simple columnar in some areas and stratified columnar in others, and the epithelial cells contained nuclei, nucleoli, ER, mitochondria, Golgi complexes, zonula occuludens, desmosomes, digitiform intercellular junctions, and large masses of the glycogen granules. 3. In the 90-day-old fetuses, the cecal epithelia were simple columnar in some area and stratified columnar in other. The microvilli of the cecal epithelia became much larger and longer than those in the 60-day-old fetuses, and intercellular junctions were developed, and increased numbers of ER, mitochondria, Golgi complexes were observed and the goblet cells contained a lot of the secretory granules. 4. In the 120-day-old fetuses, the cecal epithelia were only columnar in all areas. Microvilli and cytoplasmic organelles were well developed and the irregular annular nuclei were observed. 5. In the newborns, the cecal epithelia were covered with extensive microvilli, and the goblet cells with secretory granules were protruded into lumen. And some goblet cells secreted the secretory granules into the lumen.