Cathodoluminescence-emitting lipid droplets in rat testis: a study by analytical color fluorescence electron microscopy.
Cathodoluminescence (CL) from lipid droplets (LDs) in the rat testis was examined by analytical color fluorescence electron microscopy. The results show that: (1) the CL at wavelengths of 320 nm (CL320) and 450 nm (CL450) is derived from cholesterol esters and a mixture of lipids including vitamin A esters, respectively; (2) CL320 in the LDs of Leydig cells sharply decreases on postnatal day 21, while CL320 and CL450 in the LDs of Sertoli cells begin to be detectable; (3) the CL450-emitting LDs in seminiferous tubules, whose distributional patterns display cyclic changes during the spermatogenic cycle, are involved in spermatogenesis; and (4) the intensity of CL as well as the distributional patterns of CL-emitting LDs in testicular cells change after hypophysectomy, vitamin-A deficiency, and treatment with ethylene dimethane sulfonate and testosterone propionate. This study demonstrates that analytical color fluorescence electron microscopy is a useful tool for in-vivo observation of some specific compounds which cannot be visualized by other methods.
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
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Ning
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Fujimoto
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Koike
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Ogawa
D000818:Animals; D002788:Cholesterol Esters / Q000032:analysis; D004952:Esters / Q000032:analysis; D007016:Hypophysectomy; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008297:Male; D008698:Mesylates / Q000494:pharmacology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000737:chemistry; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013737:Testis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000032:analysis; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism
D002788:Cholesterol Esters; D004952:Esters; D008055:Lipids; D008698:Mesylates; D014801:Vitamin A; D013739:Testosterone; C002994:ethylene dimethanesulfonate