Abstract
The stages of the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium in the Japanese macaque are investigated using testes fixed by a mixture of formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde containing picric acid and embedded in a methacrylate resin, Quetol 523M. Sections, 1.0–2.0 µm in thickness, were cut with glass knives and stained with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and hematoxylin. Sections from such resin blocks illustrated cellular detail without structural distortion during the polymerization process. Furthermore, staining affinity with PAS and hematoxylin was excellent. In stained sections, typical germ cell associations were described, based on the nuclear morphology of type A (dark and pale) spermatogonium, type B spermatogonium, various developmental stages of primary spermatocytes during meiosis, and the development of the acrosomic system. In the Japanese macaque, two different steps of spermatids (steps 3 and 4) were constantly seen in the same area of the tubular epithelium during stage III. Therefore, a classification into ten stages is proposed for the cycle in this species. Additional characteristics are described based on the observation of the seminiferous epithelium using semithin sections.
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Nagato, Y., Enomoto, T. & Matsubayashi, K. Observation on the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium in the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) using semithin sections. Primates 35, 455–464 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02381954
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02381954