Arrangement of Mitochondria in Spermatozoa of the Mexican Axolotl, Ambystoma Mexicanum

Abstract

Energy for sperm motility is provided by both glycolytic and respiratory pathways. Mitochondria are involved in the latter pathway and conserve energy of substrate oxidation by coupling to phosphorylation. During spermatogenesis, the mitochondria undergo extensive transformation which in many species leads to the formation of a nebemkem. The nebemkem subsequently forms into a helix around the axial filament complex in the middle piece of spermatozoa.Immature spermatozoa of axolotls contain numerous small spherical mitochondria which are randomly distributed throughout the cytoplasm (Fig. 1). As maturation progresses, the mitochondria appear to migrate to the middle piece region where they become tightly packed to form a crystalline-like sheath. The cytoplasm in this region is no longer abundant (Fig. 2) and the plasma membrane is now closely apposed to the outside of the mitochondrial layer.