The North American Ground Skink, Scincella lateralis, is a member of the most speciose family of lizards, the Scincidae. The only descriptions of the testicular ducts of skinks concern the light microscopy of 13 species in eight other genera. We combine histological observations with results from transmission electron microscopy on a sample of skinks collected throughout the active season. The single rete testis has squamous epithelium with a large, indented nucleus and no junctional complexes between cells or conspicuous organelles. Nuclei of sperm in the rete testis area are associated with cytoplasmic bodies that are lost in the ductuli efferentes. The ductuli efferentes have both ciliated and nonciliated cells and show little seasonal variation except for the narrowing of intercellular canaliculi when sperm are absent. When the ductus epididymis contains sperm, the anterior one-third lacks copious secretory material around luminal sperm, whereas in the posterior two-thirds sperm are embedded in a dense matrix of secretory material. Light and dark principal cells exist and both contain saccular, often distended rough endoplasmic reticula, and widened intercellular canaliculi that bridge intracellular spaces. Junctional complexes are lacking between principal cells except for apical tight junctions. Electron-dense secretory granules coalesce at the luminal border for apocrine release. The cranial end of the ductus deferens is similar in cytology to the posterior ductus epididymis. Each of the nine squamates in which the proximal testicular ducts have been studied with electron microscopy has some unique characters, but no synapomorphies for squamates as a group are recognized.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmor.20104 | DOI Listing |
Am J Med Genet A
January 2025
NHC Key Laboratory of Endocrinology (Peking Union Medical College Hospital), Department of Endocrinology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
46,XY differences/disorders of sex development (DSD) are genetically heterogeneous conditions characterized by atypical development of the reproductive system. MYRF, a gene encoding a transcription factor, has been identified as a potential causative gene for DSD and cardiac urogenital syndrome (CUGS). This study aims to delineate the clinical manifestations of patients with 46,XY DSD and MYRF mutations, encompassing both from our cohort and cases reported in the literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFiScience
January 2025
Institute of Marine Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
Translational silence of spermatozoa has long been considered the norm in animals. However, studies in mammals have shown that the mitochondrial ribosomal machinery is selectively activated during capacitation in the female reproductive tract, while cytosolic ribosomes remain inactive. Here, using quantitative proteomics in a piscine model species, we show that proteins involved in mRNA processing and cytoplasmic translation are predominantly accumulated in immature spermatozoa within the extratesticular excurrent ducts, while those related to flagellar motility are enriched in ejaculated (mature) sperm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl)
December 2024
Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Lepidium meyenii (Maca) is a plant that has nutritional benefits and increases the effectiveness of male reproduction. In this study, oxidative stress-exposed New Zealand rabbits were used to assess the ameliorative effects of daily Maca ingestion on testicular and epididymal tissues as well as the quality of fresh and frozen/thawed sperm. Twenty-four 40-week-old, healthy New Zealand white male rabbits were divided into four groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransl Pediatr
November 2024
Department of General Surgery, Tianjin Children's Hospital (Children's Hospital, Tianjin University), Tianjin, China.
Background: Ectopic thyroid is a rare disease, with ectopic thyroid in the porta hepatis being extremely rare. We present a rare case involving an infant with biliary atresia (BA) wherein ectopic thyroid tissue was incidentally discovered in the porta hepatis after the Kasai operation.
Case Description: A 2-month-old boy initially presented with jaundice, manifesting as yellow skin and sclera, on the first day following birth.
Curr Issues Mol Biol
September 2024
Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Campus of Botucatu, São Paulo 18618689, SP, Brazil.
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!