Abstract
A description is given of primordial germ cell (PGC) differentiation and gonadal development in carp from hatching until the age of 6 weeks. This period was chosen as the PGCs are mitotically silent before they start to proliferate rapidly after week 6. The PGCs increased in size between week 2 and week 4 after fertilization. Ultrastructurally, the perinuclear dense bodies present in PGCs from hatching onwards increased in size and formed the ‘cement’ between mitochondria. Moreover, from week 2 onwards, an elaborate Golgiapparatus was present in PGCs, indicating synthetic activity that may be related to PGC enlargement. During the observation period, gonadal tissue was gradually formed around the PGCs. From the age of 4 and 5 weeks onwards, two somatic cell types could be distinguished; the central type had a light appearance and was closely associated with the PGCs, the other type being darker and forming the peripheral layer of the developing gonads. Thus, during the period of mitotic quiescence, the PGCs and the gonads actively differentiate in preparation for the fast PGC proliferation that occurs after 6 weeks.
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