The neutral mucin predominated on the surface epithelium from fetal period, and sialomucin as acid mucin first detected from suckling period and turned to the mixture of sialomucin and sulfomucin from weanling period. An increase in amount of these mucins was demonstrated until weanling period.
The properties of mucins in the gastric pit epithelium showed a similar pattern as the surface epithelium during development. However, sialomucin was seen on restricted fetal period, and most cells contained sulfomucin only from weanling period.
In the fundic gland, various cell types, such as the cells which contained neutral mucin only, the mixture of neutral and sialomucin and the mixture of neutral, sialomucin and sulfomucin, distributed from fetal to suckling period. But on the end of suckling period, neutral and sulfomucin containing cells were mainly detected on upper portion of the fundic gland. From the weanling period, the upper mucous neck cells contained neutral mucin and strong sulfomucin whereas lower mucous neck cells were demonstrated neutral one only.
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