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Fine structure of the Wolffian duct and cytodifferentiation of the epididymis in fetal rats

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Summary

The fine structure of the Wolffian duct and alterations that occur with the differentiation of the epididymis have been studied in fetal rats ranging in length from 5 to 22 mm (12 to 19 days gestation). Contents of the columnar Wolffian duct cells include basal and perinuclear granular endoplasmic reticulum, sparse apical agranular endoplasmic reticulum, elongate mitochondria, and a small Golgi complex. Large membrane-bounded dense bodies contain cellular organelles and may represent parts of degenerating cells ingested by phagocytosis. During the development of the epididymis from the Wolffian duct in older fetuses, “intracytoplasmic confronting cisternae” of the granular endoplasmic reticulum become numerous, and the agranular reticulum in the apical part of the cell increases moderately in abundance. Concomitantly, the apical cell surface is modified. Many microvilli are formed, indentations of the plasma membrane appear between the microvilli, and the number of coated vesicles in the apical cytoplasm increases. These changes closely follow the onset of androgen secretion by the fetal testis, and it is suggested that they may occur in response to androgen. The relation of these differentiations to known adult functions of the epididymis is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, 80302, Boulder, Colorado, USA

    Charles J. Flickinger

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  1. Charles J. Flickinger
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This study was supported by a research grant from the American Cancer Society (E-500), Program Project HD-02282 of the National Institutes of Health, and Health Sciences Advancement Award FR-02084 from the National Institutes of Health. The author is the recipient of a Research Career Development Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. He wishes to acknowledge the technical assistance of Mrs. Heather Taylor.

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Flickinger, C.J. Fine structure of the Wolffian duct and cytodifferentiation of the epididymis in fetal rats. Z. Zellforsch. 96, 344–360 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335213

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