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The crystalloid of Lubarsch in the human spermatogonium

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Summary

Spermatogonia of adult men contain frequently the so-called crystalloid of Lubarsch. This rod-shaped structure consists of a bundle of fine tubules running parallel to the long axis. The tubules (100 Å) are connected with one another. This structure is also observed in the spermatocyte occasionally and is similar to the crystalloid of Charcot-Böttcher in the cytoplasm of human Sertoli cells. In chick spermatogonia, a homologous crystalloid occurs infrequently. Morphological similarities of the crystalloids to those occurring in other cells are discussed. Mitochondria in the human spermatogonium show some aggregation; between them dense intermitochondrial material was noted.

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Study supported by grants (HD 00593-05) from U.S.P.H.S. and the Japanese Ministry of Education. The author wishes to thank members of Urology Department, Chiba University for supplying biopsy materials and Dr. G. Yasuzumi for assistance in the bibliography.

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Nagano, T. The crystalloid of Lubarsch in the human spermatogonium. Z. Zellforsch. 97, 491–501 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332798

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332798

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