scholarly journals Spermatogenesis in Animals as Revealed by Electron Microscopy

1960 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 499-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Yasuzumi ◽  
Hiroaki Tanaka ◽  
Osamu Tezuka
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Pond Snail ◽  
Special Regard ◽  
Nutritive Cell ◽  
Middle Piece ◽  
Continuous Sheet ◽  
Transient Structure

This paper deals with spermatogenesis in Cipangopaludina malleata Reeve, with special regard to the relation between the nutritive cells and the developing spermatids. The nutritive cell gives rise to numerous, slender or broad, elongate pseudopodia which extend from its surface toward the seminiferous lumen. They are characteristically provided with rows of circular, oval, and elongate profiles identical in form and position with the profiles of the endoplasmic reticulum. As the elongate pseudopodia increase in number, they become more slender and more closely packed until they coalesce into a continuous sheet circumferentially disposed around the nucleus and the full length of the middle piece of the typical spermatid. Thus the mantle of the typical spermatozoon of the pond snail is formed by a thin fold of the cytoplasm of the nutritive cells. This wrapping appears to contain 16 to 18 elements of the smooth surfaced endoplasmic reticulum, which run parallel and helically (50 to 100 mµ apart). It is suggested that these constitute a conductor system for nutritional supply from the nutritive cells to the developing typical spermatids. The mantle is assumed to be a transient structure which disappears when the sperms are detached. The atypical spermatids develop while lodged in deep indentations of the surface of the nutritive cells.

scholarly journals Spermatogenesis in Animals as Revealed by Electron Microscopy

1958 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 621-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Yasuzumi ◽  
Hiroaki Tanaka
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Fine Structure ◽  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Electron Microscope Study ◽  
Pond Snail ◽  
Atypical Form ◽  
Double Structure ◽  
Middle Piece ◽  
Radial Arrangement ◽  
Development Proceeds

This paper reports an electron microscope study of typical and atypical spermatogenesis in the pond snail, Cipangopaludina malteata. In the typical spermatid the nucleus undergoes profound changes as development proceeds, affecting both its form and internal fine structure. A large number of roughly parallel, dense filaments, arranged along the long axis of the nucleus, fuse with each other to form in the end the homogeneous helical body characteristic of the head of the adult spermatozoa. The nebenkern is apparently mitochondrial in nature and, in its early development, is similar to that of insects except that it appears as a double structure from the beginning. As differentiation proceeds, the mitochondria lose their membranes, and the residual, now denuded cristae, reorganize to give a parallel radial arrangement. In the last stages of development, the nebenkern derivations become applied to the sheath of the middle piece in a compact helical fashion. In the development of the atypical spermatozoa, the nucleus fails to differentiate and simply shrinks in volume until only a remnant, devoid of DNA, is left. The cytoplasm shows numerous vesicles containing small Feulgen-positive bodies, 80 to 130 mµ in diameter. These vesicles plus contents increase in number as spermatogenesis proceeds. The "head" structure of the atypical spermatozoa consists of a bundle (7 to 17) of tail flagella, each with a centriole at its anterior end. The end-piece of the atypical form appears brush-like and is made up of the free ends of the several flagella.

Modification of Pineal Ultrastructure by Exogenous Hormones

1967 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 170-171
Author(s):  
R. A. Turner ◽  
A. E. Rodin ◽  
D. K. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Estradiol Benzoate ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
List Type ◽  
Type Number ◽  
Pregnant Rats ◽  
Gonadal Atrophy ◽  
Pineal Ultrastructure

There have been many reports which establish a relationship between the pineal and sexual structures, including gonadal hypertrophy after pinealectomy, and gonadal atrophy after injection of pineal homogenates or of melatonin. In order to further delineate this relationship the pineals from 5 groups of female rats were studied by electron microscopy:ControlsPregnant ratsAfter 4 weekly injections of 0.1 mg. estradiol benzoate.After 8 daily injections of 150 mcgm. melatonin (pineal hormone).After 8 daily injections of 3 mg. serotonin (melatonin precursor).No ultrastructural differences were evident between the control, and the pregnancy and melatonin groups. However, the estradiol injected animals exhibited a marked increase in the amount and size of rough endoplasmic reticulum within the pineal cells.

Copper Localization in Cirrhotic Rat Liver by Scanning Electron Microscopy

1969 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 38-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Russ ◽  
E. McNatt
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Copper Acetate ◽  
Lead Citrate ◽  
Dense Bodies ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Electron Mode ◽  
Scanning Electron

In order to study the retention of copper in cirrhotic liver, rats were made cirrhotic by carbon tetrachloride inhalation twice weekly for three months and fed 0.2% copper acetate ad libidum in drinking water for one month. The liver tissue was fixed in osmium, sectioned approximately 2000 Å thick, and stained with lead citrate. The section was examined in a scanning electron microscope (JEOLCO JSM-2) in the transmission electron mode.Figure 1 shows a typical area that includes a red blood cell in a sinusoid, a disse, and a portion of the cytoplasm of a hepatocyte which contains several mitochondria, peribiliary dense bodies, glycogen granules, and endoplasmic reticulum.

Morphological and biochemical analyses of changes in rat hepatocytes related to wine and ethanol consumption

1984 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 232-233
Author(s):  
S.M. Geyer ◽  
C.L. Mendenhall ◽  
J.T. Hung ◽  
E.L. Cardell ◽  
R.L. Drake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Enzyme Activity ◽  
Malic Enzyme ◽  
Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Rat Hepatocytes ◽  
Mature Male ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Malic Enzyme Activity ◽  
Biochemical Analyses

Thirty-three mature male Holtzman rats were randomly placed in 3 treatment groups: Controls (C); Ethanolics (E); and Wine drinkers (W). The animals were fed synthetic diets (Lieber type) with ethanol or wine substituted isocalorically for carbohydrates in the diet of E and W groups, respectively. W received a volume of wine which provided the same gram quantity of alcohol consumed by E. The animals were sacrificed by decapitation after 6 weeks and the livers processed for quantitative triglycerides (T3), proteins, malic enzyme activity (MEA), light microscopy (LM) and electron microscopy (EM). Morphometric analysis of randomly selected LM and EM micrographs was performed to determine organellar changes in centrilobular (CV) and periportal (PV) regions of the liver. This analysis (Table 1) showed that hepatocytes from E were larger than those in C and W groups. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum decreased in E and increased in W compared to C values.

Triple Fixation For Electron Microscopy

1968 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 90-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Hayat
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Electron Beam ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Myelin Sheath ◽  
Good Deal ◽  
Granular Structure ◽  
Oxidizing Agent ◽  
Fixation Technique ◽  
Large Clusters

Potassium permanganate has been successfully employed to study membranous structures such as endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, plastids, plasma membrane and myelin sheath. Since KMnO4 is a strong oxidizing agent, deposition of manganese or its oxides account for some of the observed contrast in the lipoprotein membranes, but a good deal of it is due to the removal of background proteins either by dehydration agents or by volatalization under the electron beam. Tissues fixed with KMnO4 exhibit somewhat granular structure because of the deposition of large clusters of stain molecules. The gross arrangement of membranes can also be modified. Since the aim of a good fixation technique is to preserve satisfactorily the cell as a whole and not the best preservation of only a small part of it, a combination of a mixture of glutaraldehyde and acrolein to obtain general preservation and KMnO4 to enhance contrast was employed to fix plant embryos, green algae and fungi.

Image quality vs data obtainment in biological electron microscopy

1986 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 42-43
Author(s):  
J. E. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Electron Beam ◽  
Image Quality ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Fluorescent Screen ◽  
Embedding Medium

In the early years of biological electron microscopy, scientists had their hands full attempting to describe the cellular microcosm that was suddenly before them on the fluorescent screen. Mitochondria, Golgi, endoplasmic reticulum, and other myriad organelles were being examined, micrographed, and documented in the literature. A major problem of that early period was the development of methods to cut sections thin enough to study under the electron beam. A microtome designed in 1943 moved the specimen toward a rotary “Cyclone” knife revolving at 12,500 RPM, or 1000 times as fast as an ordinary microtome. It was claimed that no embedding medium was necessary or that soft embedding media could be used. Collecting the sections thus cut sounded a little precarious: “The 0.1 micron sections cut with the high speed knife fly out at a tangent and are dispersed in the air. They may be collected... on... screens held near the knife“.

Immunoprobe localization in mammalian embryos

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 32-33
Author(s):  
Patricia G. Calarco ◽  
Margaret C. Siebert
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Relative Lack ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Mammalian Embryos ◽  
Antigen Localization ◽  
Difficult Challenge ◽  
Lowicryl K4m ◽  
Fertilized Egg

Visualization of preimplantation mammalian embryos by electron microscopy is difficult due to the large size of the ircells, their relative lack of internal structure, and their highly hydrated cytoplasm. For example, the fertilized egg of the mouse is a single cell of approximately 75μ in diameter with little organized cytoskelet on and apaucity ofor ganelles such as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi material. Thus, techniques that work well on tissues or cell lines are often not adaptable to embryos at either the LM or EM level.Over several years we have perfected techniques for visualization of mammalian embryos by LM and TEM, SEM and for the pre-embedding localization of antigens. Post-embedding antigenlocalization in thin sections of mouse oocytes and embryos has presented a more difficult challenge and has been explored in LR White, LR Gold, soft EPON (after etching of sections), and Lowicryl K4M. To date, antigen localization has only been achieved in Lowicryl-embedded material, although even with polymerization at-40°C, the small ER vesicles characteristic of embryos are unrecognizable.

Ultrastructure of meiosis and the spindle pole body cycle in freeze-substituted basidia of the smut fungi Ustilago maydis and Ustilago avenae

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 629-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry O'Donnell
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Spindle Pole Body ◽  
Ustilago Maydis ◽  
Spindle Pole ◽  
Meiotic Spindle ◽  
Smut Fungi ◽  
Late Prophase ◽  
Prophase I ◽  
Pole Body ◽  
Middle Piece

Meiosis in the smut fungi Ustilago maydis and Ustilago avenae (Basidiomycota, Ustilaginales) was studied by electron microscopy of serial-sectioned freeze substituted basidia. At prophase I, a spindle pole body composed of two globular elements connected by a middle piece was attached to the extranuclear surface of each nucleus. Astral and spindle microtubules were initiated at each globular element at late prophase I to prometaphase I. During spindle initiation, the middle piece disappeared and interdigitating half-spindles entered the nucleoplasm, which was surrounded by discontinuous nuclear envelope together with perinuclear endoplasmic reticulum. Kinetochore pairs at metaphase I were analyzed to obtain a karyotype for each species. The meiotic spindle pole body replicational cycle is described. Key words: electron microscopy, freeze-substitution, meiosis, Ustilago, spindle pole body.

scholarly journals A Cellular Reaction to Antibody in Tissue Culture Studied with Electron Microscopy

1959 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harrison Latta
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Tissue Culture ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Nuclear Membrane ◽  
Normal Serum ◽  
Butyl Methacrylate ◽  
Heart Cells ◽  
Plasma Clot ◽  
Outer Nuclear Membrane ◽  
Cell Components

The reaction of embryonic chick heart cells grown in tissue culture to specific guinea pig antiserum has been studied with electron microscopy. Heart fragments from chick embryos were cultured with a plasma clot. After being tested with antiserum or normal serum, they were fixed with buffered osmium tetroxide and embedded in butyl methacrylate before removal from the glass culture chamber. Thin cells found by phase microscopy to have reacted were sectioned in a plane parallel to the glass surface on which they had grown. The results confirm and extend observations made previously while the reactions were occurring. The plasma membrane, like that of the red cell, becomes disrupted or less resistant to trauma following the action of antiserum. The membranes of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum vesiculate and swell. Before nuclear shrinkage becomes prominent, the outer nuclear membrane separates over a large portion of the nuclear envelope and forms one or more large swollen blebs. Thus, the outer nuclear membrane shows a reactivity similar to endoplasmic reticulum. It is suggested that the various physical and chemical changes observed to follow the action of antibody and complement on fibroblasts may be explained by osmotic pressure differences between various cell components. Some basic similarities to the action of hemolytic agents on red cells are noted.

scholarly journals SYNTHESIS, MIGRATION, AND RELEASE OF PRECURSOR COLLAGEN BY ODONTOBLASTS AS VISUALIZED BY RADIOAUTOGRAPHY AFTER [3H]PROLINE ADMINISTRATION

1974 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melvyn Weinstock ◽  
C. P. Leblond
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Golgi Apparatus ◽  
Phosphotungstic Acid ◽  
Secretory Granules ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Collagen Fibrils ◽  
Dentin Collagen ◽  
Odontoblast Process ◽  
High Radioactivity

The elaboration of dentin collagen precursors by the odontoblasts in the incisor teeth of 30–40-g rats was investigated by electron microscopy, histochemistry, and radioautography after intravenous injection of tritium-labeled proline. At 2 min after injection, when the labeling of blood proline was high, radioactivity was restricted to the rough endoplasmic reticulum, indicating that it is the site of synthesis of the polypeptide precursors of collagen, the pro-alpha chains. At 10 min, when the labeling of blood proline had already declined, radioactivity was observed in spherical portions of Golgi saccules containing entangled threads, and, at 20 min, radioactivity appeared in cylindrical portions containing aggregates of parallel threads. The parallel threads measured 280–350 nm in length and stained with the low pH-phosphotungstic acid technique for carbohydrate and with the silver methenamine technique for aldehydes (as did extracellular collagen fibrils). The passage of label from spherical to cylindrical Golgi portions is associated with the reorganization of entangled into parallel threads, which is interpreted as the packing of procollagen molecules. Between 20 and 30 min, prosecretory and secretory granules respectively became labeled. These results indicate that the cylindrical portions of Golgi saccules transform into prosecretory and subsequently into secretory granules. Within these granules, the parallel threads, believed to be procollagen molecules, are transported to the odontoblast process. At 90 min and 4 h after injection, label was present in predentin, indicating that the labeled content of secretory granules had been released into predentin. This occurred by exocytosis as evidenced by the presence of secretory granules in fusion with the plasmalemma of the odontoblast process. It is proposed that pro-alpha chains give rise to procollagen molecules which assemble into parallel aggregates in the Golgi apparatus. Procollagen molecules are then transported within secretory granules to the odontoblast process and released by exocytosis. In predentin procollagen molecules would give rise to tropocollagen molecules, which would then polymerize into collagen fibrils.

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