Summary
Applying the silver staining technique, it could be shown that in the early phase of spermiogenesis a layer of argyrophilic material accumulated at the base of the acrosomal vesicle and at the outer side of the nuclear envelope opposite that region, and, later, at the inner side of the plasma membrane near the base of the acrosomal vesicle. During further development of the postacrosomal region of the spermatozoon head, the argyrophilic material associated with the plasmalemma grew caudally to form the postacrosomal dense lamina, while the argyrophilic material associated with the nuclear envelope, staying the same size, shifted to the caudal end of the postacrosomal dense lamina to form the postnuclear band.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Azevedo C, Oliveira E (1988) Presence of argyrophilic cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins in the spermatic cells of Nucella lapillus (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia). J Submicr Cytol Pathol 20: 81–87
Baccetti B (1984) The human spermatozoon. In: Van Blerkom J, Motta PM (eds) Ultrastructure of reproduction. Nijhoff, Boston The Hague Dordrecht Lancaster, pp 110–126
Campanella C, Gabbiani G, Baccetti B, Burrini AG, Pallini V (1979) Actin and myosin in the vertebrate acrosomal region. J Submicr Cytol 11:53–71
Czaker R (1985a) Ultrastructural observations on nucleolar changes during mouse spermiogenesis. Andrologia 17:42–53
Czaker R (1985b) Morphogenesis and cytochemistry of the postacrosomal dense lamina during mouse spermiogenesis. J Ultrastruct Res 90:26–39
Czaker R (1985c) Distinct argyrophilic cytoplasmic organelles revealed during mouse spermiogenesis. A fine structural and cytochemical study. Anat Embryol 172:247–254
Dadoune JP, Alfonsi MF (1986) Ultrastructural and cytochemical changes of the head components of human spermatids and spermatozoa. Gamete Res 14:33–46
Dráber P, Dráberová, Viklický V (1991) Immunostaining of human spermatozoa with tubulin domain-specific monoclonal antibodies. Recognition of a unique beta-tubulin epitope in the sperm head. Histochemistry 95:519–524
Erard MS, Belenguer P, Caizergues-Ferrer M, Pantaloni A, Amalric F (1988) A major nucleolar protein, nucleolin, induces chromatin decondensation by binding to histone HI. Eur J Biochem 175:525–530
Escalier D (1984) The cytoplasmic matrix of the human spermatozoon: cross-filaments link the various cell components. Biol Cell 51:347–364
Flaherty SP, Winfrey VP, Olson GE (1986) Localization of actin in mammalian spermatozoa: a comparison of eight species. Anat Rec 216:504–515
Flaherty SP, Winfrey VP, Olson GE (1988) Localization of actin in human, bull, rabbit, and hamster sperm by immunoelectron microscopy. Anat Rec 221:599–610
Fouquet J-P, Kann M-L, Dadoune J-P (1989) Immunogold distribution of actin during spermiogenesis in the rat, hamster, monkey, and human. Anat Rec 223:35–42
Goodpasture C, Bloom SE (1975) Visualization of nucleolar organizer regions in mammalian chromosomes using silver staining. Chromosoma 53:37–50
Hartung M, Wachtler F, de Lanversin A, Fouet C, Schwarzacher HG, Stahl A (1990) Sequential changes in the nucleoli of human spermatogonia with special reference to rDNA location and transcription. Tissue Cell 22:25–37
Hernandez-Verdun D, Derenzini M, Bouteille M (1982) The morphological relationship in electron microscopy between NOR-silver proteins and intranucleolar chromatin. Chromosoma 85:461–473
Holstein AF, Roosen-Runge EC (1981) Atlas of human spermatogenesis. Grosse, Berlin
Koehler JK (1972) Human sperm head ultrastructure: a freeze-etching study. J Ultrastruct Res 39:520–539
Krimer DB, Esponda P (1978) Preferential staining of the postacrosomal lamina of mouse spermatids. Mikroskopie 34:55–59
Longo FJ, Krohne G, Franke WW (1987) Basic proteins of the perinuclear theca of mammalian spermatozoa and spermatids: a novel class of cytoskeletal elements. J Cell Biol 105:1105–1120
Mirre C, Knibiehler B (1985) Ultrastructural and functional variations in the spermatid nucleolus during spermiogenesis in the mouse. Cell Differ 16:51–61
Ochs D, Wolf DP, Ochs RL (1986) Intermediate filament proteins in human sperm heads. Exp Cell Res 167:495–504
Paranko J, Longo F, Potts J, Krohne G, Frank WW (1988) Widespread occurrence of calicin, a basic cytoskeletal protein of sperm cells, in diverse mammalian species. Differentiation 38:21–27
Pedersen H (1972a) Further observations on the fine structure of the human spermatozoon. Z Zellforsch Mikrosa Anat 123: 305–315
Pedersen H (1972b) The postacrosomal region of the spermatozoa of man and Macaco arctoides. J Ultrastruct Res 40:366–377
Plöen L, Courtens J-L (1986) Comparative aspects of mammalian spermiogenesis. Scanning Electron Microsc 1986:639–652
Sathananthan AH, Ng SC, Trouson AO, Ratnam SS, Bongso TA (1990) Human sperm-oocyte fusion. In: Dale B (ed) Mechanism of fertilization: plants to humans. NATO ASI Series, Series H: Cell Biology, vol H45, Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 329–350
Sousa M, Azevedo C (1987) Silver staining of the cortical reaction in oocytes of Marthasterias glacialis (Echinodermata, Asteroidea). Canadian J Zool 65:2607–2611
Sousa M, Azevedo C (1988) Comparative silver staining analysis on spermatozoa of various invertebrate species. Int J Invert Reprod Dev 13:1–8
Sousa M, Azevedo C (1990) Ultrastructure and AG staining of echinoderm spermatogenesis. In: Dale B (ed) Mechanism of fertilization: plants to humans. NATO ASI Series, Series H: Cell Biology, vol H45, Springer, Berlin Heidelberg, pp 115–129
Virtanen I, Badley RA, Paasivuo R, Lehto V-P (1984) Distinct cytoskeletal domains revealed in sperm cells. J Cell Biol 99:1083–1091
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sousa, M., Azevedo, C. Silver staining of the postacrosomal sheath during human spermiogenesis. Anat Embryol 185, 271–274 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00211825
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00211825