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Acrosome morphogenesis in Lumbricus terrestris

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Summary

Acrosome morphogenesis commences in the juxtanuclear cytoplasm at the posterior end of spermatids of Lumbricus terrestris. A dense rod-shaped structure and the Golgi apparatus together participate first in forming an acrosome vesicle that contains the acrosome granule, and somewhat later shape the conical base of the acrosome in the cytoplasm beneath the vesicle. Cytoplasmic flow may account for the migration of the immature acrosome to the apical surface of the nucleus of the spermatid. Manchette microtubules play a key role in the final modelling of the acrosome. Sheathed by the manchette the acrosome elongates to 3–4 times its pre-attachment length. The conical base of the acrosome then extends anteriorly to enclose the acrosome vesicle. A dense rod emerging from the rod-shaped granule occupies an indentation of the base of the acrosome vesicle. The mature acrosome of Lumbricus is an extremely complex structure about 5–7 microns long and is bounded by the plasmalemma of the spermatozoon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, Brown University, 02912, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

    Winston A. Anderson & Richard A. Ellis

  2. Biologie Cellulaire 4, Faculté des Sciences, 91, Orsay, France

    Winston A. Anderson

Authors
  1. Winston A. Anderson
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  2. Richard A. Ellis
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This study was supported by a research training grant GM-00582-07 from the Public Health Service.

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Anderson, W.A., Ellis, R.A. Acrosome morphogenesis in Lumbricus terrestris . Zeitschrift für Zellforschung 85, 398–407 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00328849

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00328849

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