Electron microscopic cytochemical study of phosphatases during spermiogenesis in Chinese hamster.

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Ultrastructural localization of several nonspecific and nucleoside phosphatase activities during spermiogenesis was studied in Chinese hamster testes. Acid phosphatase activity was found in dense bodies, multivesicular bodies, and Golgi apparatuses of both spermatogenic cells and Sertoli cells, while no alkaline phosphatase activity was observed in the seminiferous tubule, although peritubular tissue was positive. During early stages of acrosome formation, acid phosphatase activity was demonstrated in the Golgi apparatus and in acrosomal granules. This enzyme could not be detected in the granule when the acrosomal cap was formed. Thiamine pyrophosphatase, inosine diphosphatase, and acid phosphatase were detected in Golgi complex of the early spermatid, but none of these three enzymes were detected following caudal migration of the apparatus. This phenomenon indicates a change in the physiologic status of the Golgi apparatus during spermatid maturation. Thiamine pyrophosphatase, inosine diphosphatase, and adenosine triphosphatase activities were localized on the cell surface and between intercellular spaces of spermatogenic cells and Sertoli cells throughout the seminiferous tubular cycle. In the spermatid, however, the three enzymes were not observed on the plasma membrane in exonemal canal. Furthermore, along the opposing plasma membrane of adjacent spermatogenic cells mere traces or no enzyme activities were present. The phenomenon indicates a membrane specialization and suggests a metabolic relationship between Sertoli cells and spermatogenic cells.