Prenatal development of the mammalian vomeronasal organ

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) originates from the medial wall of the olfactory pit shortly after the middle of the embryonic period in mammals. The Anlage stage consists of a cellular bud that grows dorsally, caudally, and towards the midline leaving a groove. The following stage, Early Morphogenesis, includes the closure of the vomeronasal groove to form a parasagittal blind‐ended tube in the nasal septum, which opens into the nasal and/or oral cavities. The lumen adopts a crescent shape while the epithelial lining differentiates into an increasingly wider epithelium on the concave side and a gradually thinner epithelium on the convex side. The former goes on to occupy a medial position and develops neuroblasts among supporting and undifferentiated cells, with supporting cell nuclei tending to align in the upper rows. The lateral “non‐sensory” epithelium furrows, giving a kidney‐shaped appearance to the VNO cross section. The next stage, Late Morphogenesis is extended up to a difference in thickness between both epithelia becomes similar to the adult, generally by birth. An increasing number of ciliary generation complexes, larger and more abundant microvilli, and an evident glycocalyx are observed in the neuroepithelium at the luminal surface, while enzymatic activities become more intense. The non‐sensory epithelium appears quite mature save for its luminal surface, which is still devoid of cilia. Blood capillaries penetrate the most basal region of the neuroepithelium and vomeronasal glands are very few and immature. At birth, some neurons appear well developed to support certain functionality; however, persistence of architectural, histochemical, and ultrastructural signs of immaturity, suggests that full performance of the VNO does not occur in newborn mammals, but in prepubertal ages. Microsc. Res. Tech. 41:456–470, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.