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Ultrastructure developments during spermiogenesis in Polydora ciliata (Annelida: Spionidae), a parasite of mollusca

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Abstract

Spionid worms of Polydora ciliata inhabit the shells of many commercially important bivalves and cause disease in molluscan aquaculture. Their sperm structure is closely related to their fertilization method. To give an insight into the sperm structure and spermatogenesis, ultrastructure details of the subcellular components of germ cells during spermiogenesis of Polydora ciliata are detected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In P. ciliata, during spermiogenesis, chromatin is regularly arranged as dense fibrils and becomes more condensed when the nucleus elongates. Microtubules do not surround the nucleus during its elongation. The Golgi phase is characterized by the formation of proacrosomal granules within the Golgi apparatus. The proacrosomal granules fuse to form a single, spherical acrosomal vesicle that migrates to the anterior pole of the cell. At the time of nuclear condensation, mitochondria become reduced in number but increased in size, causing deep indentation at the base of the nucleus. The mid-piece has a few mitochondria. The cap phase includes the spreading of the acrosomal granule over the surface of the nucleus of the differentiating spermatid. The acrosomal phase of spermiogenesis is typically associated with changes in the shape of the nucleus, acrosome and tail. The relationship of sperm ultrastructure to spermiogenesis in spionidae species was discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, P. R. China

    Yan Gao, Tao Zhang, Libin Zhang, Tianlong Qiu, Dongxiu Xue & Hongsheng Yang

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China

    Yan Gao, Tianlong Qiu & Dongxiu Xue

Authors
  1. Yan Gao
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  2. Tao Zhang
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  3. Libin Zhang
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  4. Tianlong Qiu
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  5. Dongxiu Xue
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  6. Hongsheng Yang
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Correspondence to Hongsheng Yang.

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Gao, Y., Zhang, T., Zhang, L. et al. Ultrastructure developments during spermiogenesis in Polydora ciliata (Annelida: Spionidae), a parasite of mollusca. J. Ocean Univ. China 13, 1071–1077 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-014-2309-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-014-2309-y

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