title: Mitochondria of human Leydig cells as seen by high resolution scanning electron microscopy.
abstract: The three-dimensional ultrastructure of over 1000 mitochondria in human Leydig cells (from twelve sexually mature patients) was examined by high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) of osmium-macerated specimens, as well as by transmission electron microscopy of conventional ultrathin sections. The stereo-pair imaging of the osmium-macerated specimens by HRSEM is also very useful for investigating the three-dimensional structure of cytoplasmic membranous organelles with great clarity. The mitochondria, which mainly are elongated (although some are ovate), possess cristae that are almost exclusively tubular and that occasionally display constrictions and terminal bulbules. Lamelliform cristae are quite rare. Occasionally, the tubular cristae are joined together to form a simple network. Classic crista junctions could not be identified with certainty, although the base of the tubular cristae might correspond functionally to such junctions. As a whole, in line with the identical and common embryological origin of adrenal cortex and gonads, mitochondria of human Leydig cell closely resemble those of steroidogenic cells of human suprarenal cortex treated by the same maceration method.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytomorphology, School of Medicine, University of Cagliari, Italy. riva@unica.it
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Riva
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tandler
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ushiki
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Usai
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Isola
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Loy
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: L Hoppel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D007985:Leydig Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure*