Seasonal variation in the morphology of thyroid parafollicular (C) cells in the woodchuck, Marmota monax: a light and electron microscopic study.

The morphology of parafollicular (C) cells in the thyroid gland of the woodchuck, Marmota monax, was studied during the four seasons of the year. The spring C cells are characterized by a large Golgi zone, rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum, free ribosomes and relatively few dense granules. In the summer these cells appear to be larger and many are packed with dense granules. Fall cells exhibit morphological characteristics suggestive of intense synthetic activity, having rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum in whorls or parallel arrangement, a large Golgi apparatus and few, to many granules, some of which are larger than those seen in the spring and summer C cells. In the winter, most of the C cells are packed with granules. The Golgi zone, when observed, is small and the rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum is sparse. Many cell profiles exhibit apparent granule dissolution. These cyclic morphological findings are discussed along with previous studies of other hibernators and are correlated with the seasonal activities of the woodchuck.