The fine structure of testicular interstitial cells in the adult golden hamster with special reference to seasonal changes

Abstract

The fine structure of the testicular interstitium was studied in normal adult golden hamsters sacrificed in the reproductive season (spring and summer) and in the winter. The Leydig cells in the reproductively active testes contain abundant endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and numerous mitochondria. The ER occurs in the form of flattened cisternae and tubules, the former prevailing. The cisternae are extremely extensive and are partly granular and partly agranular, their ends being continuous with the tubluar reticulum. Mitochondria intervening between the cisternae are closely associated with the agranular portions of the latter. Adjacent to the Golgi complex and continuous with the centrosome a unique filamentous body with a dense laminar core is often observed. In the regressive testes, the Leydig cells show a great reduction of cytoplasmic volume and a remarkable decline of the organelles, especially agranular tubules. The possible functional significance of the tubular and cisternal ER with the associated mitochondria is discussed in relation to the biosynthesis of androgens. Macrophages appear to constitute another important population of the interstitial cell clusters.

Electron Microscopic Study on the Testicular Interstitial Cells in the Mouse

“…Centrioles associated with the Golgi apparatus of the Leydig cell have been demonstrated light and electron microscopically (DUESBERG, 1918;CHRISTENSEN and FAWCETT, 1961;CRABO, 1963;YAMADA, 1965;CHRISTENSEN, 1965CHRISTENSEN, , 1975MURAKAMI, 1966;BELT and CAVAZOS, 1971;RUSSO and DE ROSAS, 1971;CONNELL, 1972;CONNELL and CHRIS-TENSEN, 1975;USUI, 1976;WEAKER, 1977;WING and LIN, 1977). Confirming the findings by CRABO (1963), DE KRETSER (1967a, RUSSO and DE ROSAS (1971), CONNELL (1972), CONNELL and CHRISTENSEN (1975 and USUI (1976), the present author demonstrated a cilium developing from one of the paired centrioles (diplosome).…”

“…Golgi complex and secretory mechanism AS CHRISTENSEN (1965,1970,1975), BELT and CAVAZOS (1967), USUI, 1976, WING andLIN (1977) and the present author noted, several Golgi complexes were dispersed in random portions of the cytoplasm of the testicular interstitial cell. This distribution agreed with that in the perikaryon of neurons (KUDO, 1971;ONA, 1974;YAMAMOTO, 1977) and might probably be caused by an extensive network formation of Golgi elements in the cytoplasm.…”

“…Intimate association of mitochondria with the SER membranes has been reported (MURAKAMI, 1966;CHRISTENSEN, 1975;USUI, 1976;WING and LIN, 1977). In the mouse interstitial cells, the SER cisternae were frequently observed close to the surface of the mitochondria, suggesting a functional association between these organelles in the course of the production of testosterone from cholesterol.…”

“…In its nucleus (N) two spheridies (arrows) and nucleoli (NL) are seen. The arrow-head indicates a filopodium of the Leydig cell taken up in a coated invagination forms have been confirmed in a variety of species (BELT andCAVAZOS, 1967, 1971;DE KRETSER, 1967a;SINHA and SEAL, 1967;CHRISTENSEN, 1970CHRISTENSEN, , 1975CONNELL, 1972;USUI, 1976;WING and LIN, 1977). Distinction between tubular and lamellar cristae in a single section was not always easy, and this apparently caused different conclusions reached by different authors in the same animal species-YAMADA (1965), NAGANO (1965) and DE KRETSER (1967b) vs. DE KRETSER (1967a) and CHRISTENSEN (1970; SCHWARZ and MERKER (1965) and USUI (1976) vs. MURAKAMI (1966) and LORDING and DE KRETSER (1972.…”

“…The majority of the previous authors supported the view that the smooth membranes of the interstitial cells formed a network of interconnected tubules extended throughout the cytoplasm, which could transform into flattened, sometimes fenestrated cisternae (FAWCETT and BURGOS, 1960;CHRISTENSEN and FAWCETT, 1961;CRABO, 1963;LEESON, 1963;CHRISTENSEN, 1965CHRISTENSEN, , 1970CHRISTENSEN, , 1975NAGANO, 1965;CHRISTENSEN and FAWCETT, 1966;BELT andCAVAZOS, 1967, 1971;AOKI, 1968AOKI, , 1970MERKOW et al, 1968b;BLACK and CHRISTENSEN, 1969;PELLINIEMI and NIEMI, 1969;GONDOS et al, 1974;CONNELL and CHRISTENSEN, 1975;WEAKER, 1977;WING and LIN, 1977). Against this view, some authors proposed vesicular type SER membranes (MERKOW et al, 1968a;BAILLIE, 1964;SCHWARZ and MERKER, 1965).…”