Enterocyte ultrastructure and uptake of immunoglobulins in the small intestine of the neonatal lamb

Abstract Although the small intestine of the sheep is relatively mature at birth, there are still vacuolated enterocytes present for at least 2 days in distal regions. In the distal regions, vacuolated cells possess a range of vesicle morphology which might be indicative of at least 2 separate routes for enterocyte handling of proteins taken up from the lumen. The localisation of immunoreactive immunoglobulins within the enterocytes, presumably of colostral or milk origin, in both proximal (non-vacuolated) and distal (vacuolated) regions, does not follow patterns which suggest orderly renewal at closure. It is suggested that closure is not solely brought about by epithelial cell replacement.