Distinct types of encapsulated sensory corpuscles in the oral mucosa of the dog: immunohistochemical and electron microscopic studies.

The types, structure, and distribution of encapsulated sensory endings that have lamellar investments in the oral mucosa and vermilion border of the lip of adult dogs were studied by light and electron microscopy. Immunohistochemistry for cholinesterase was used to identify the corpuscules by light microscopy. Two different types of corpuscular end-organs containing definite inner cores were distinguished. One was a typical, simple corpuscle, which contains only one, but sometimes two, inner cores composed of densely piled cytoplasmic lamellae surrounding a central axon terminal. The other type was characterized by the coexistence of convoluted inner cores, arborized free endings, and thin nerve bundles within a perineural capsule; we term this type "compound corpuscle." The ultrastructure of the inner cores in compound corpuscles was similar to that of mature, simple corpuscles. The arborized free endings in the compound corpuscles usually contained an accumulation of mitochondria and small clear vesicles. The compound corpuscles were frequently encountered in the vermilion border of the lip and in the labial and buccal mucosae but were rare in the masticatory mucosa of the gingiva and hard palate. From the results, it was concluded that the compound corpuscle is a distinct type of the sensory end-organ containing inner cores.