The Golgi Apparatus of the Ameloblast of the Rat at the Stage of Enamel Matrix Formation

In adult rats, the continuous growth of the incisor tooth is associated with continuous mitotic division of the immature ameloblasts located at the root tip. As some of these cells migrate distally, they mature and eventually secrete enamel matrix, at which time they may be referred to as secretory ameloblasts. When this stage is reached, the Golgi apparatus of the ameloblasts acquires a rather unusual shape. Since this shape has not been described by previous authors, a brief description will be given. The secretory ameloblasts from the upper and lower incisors of adult white rats were investi-gated. For light microscopy, the osmium tetroxidezinc iodide method of Maillet (1) as well as the