Evidence for the holocrine nature of lipoid secretion by avian epidermal cells: A histochemical and fine structural study of rictus and the uropygial gland.

Cells of the avian epidermis (rictus of the chicken), when examined under the light microscope following suitable fat staining, show similarities to epithelial cells of the uropygial gland of chicken and pigeon, an organ which is recognized both morphologically and functionally as a holocrine gland. Evidence thus far from electron microscopic studies strongly suggests that the skin of the bird is also a holocrine gland, although details of cytogenesis and secretion differ somewhat in the two organs.