Centriolar length variability in testicular cells from side-necked turtles.
Silver nitrate staining of surface spread testicular material from side-necked turtles revealed centrioles associated with the nuclei of Sertoli cells, spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, and spermatids. Sertoli cells possessed minute centrioles comparable to those described in somatic tissues of other organisms. The other three cell types contained greatly enlarged centrioles, with those of the primary spermatocytes and spermatids exhibiting maximum lengths of 4-5 microns. During spermatogenesis, the centriolar pair apparently replicated only at prophase I, as the developing spermatids each possessed only one centriole.
Hale
D W
DW
Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843.
Hanks
B G
BG
Bickham
J W
JW
Greenbaum
I F
IF
D000818:Animals; D002502:Centrioles / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013737:Testis / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014426:Turtles / Q000033:anatomy & histology*