Vlouse sperm acquire a new structure on the apical hoo Juring epididymal maturation

作     者：Yi-Wen Lin Tzu-Han Hsu Pauline H Yen 

作者机构：lnstitute of Biomedical Sciences Academia Sinica Taipei 11529 China and lnstitute of Cellular and Organismic Biology Academia Sinica Taipei 11529 China 

出 版 物：《Asian Journal of Andrology》 (亚洲男性学杂志（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2013年第15卷第4期

页      面：523-528,I0009页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 07[理学] 08[工学] 082603[工学-火炮、自动武器与弹药工程] 0826[工学-兵器科学与技术] 071002[理学-动物学] 

主　　题：apical hook epididymal maturation mouse sperm sperm head ultrastructure 

摘      要：Spermatozoa emerging from the testis undergo a maturation process in the epididymis during which they change morphologically, biochemically and physiologically to gain motility and the ability to fertilize ova. We examined mouse epididymal sperm with immunostaining and transmission electron microscopy （EM） and identified a previously unknown structure on the apical hook. The structure has a coiled configuration around 11 nm in thickness and is present at the tip of each corner of the triangular-rod shaped perforatorium. Surveying sperm isolated from various regions of the epididymis indicated that mouse sperm acquire the hook rim （HR） structure during its passage through the proximal two-thirds of the caput epididymidis. The structure withstands vigorous sonication and harsh chemical treatments and remains intact after the acrosome reaction. Its location and sturdiness suggest a function in protecting the apical hook from mechanical wear during fertilization. Our EM images of epididymal sperm also revealed additional novel structures as well as lateral asymmetry of the sperm head, indicating that mouse sperm head has a structure more complex than previously recognized.