Ultrastructure of gonadal ridge in male and female pig embryos

Abstract

Pig embryos aged 21-22 days (d) obtained from artificially inseminated sows for an ultrastructural study of the development and sex differentiation of the gonadal ridge. The chromosomal sex of the embryos was identified by a chromosome analysis. At the age of 21 d the gonadal ridge consisted of three different tissues: the surface epithelium, the primitive cords, and the mesenchyme. The surface epithelial cells contained elongate mitochondria with lamellar cristae, granular endoplasmic reticulum (GER), the Golgi complex, free polysomes, coated vesicles and fine filaments. The epithelium was continuous with the primitive cords, which were composed of ultrastructurally similar cells. The epithelial basal lamina followed the cord surface, but covered it incompletely. Primordial germ cells (PGC) were located under the surface epithelium in the mesenchyme and in the cords. The nucleus with a prominent nucleolus, and the large mitochondria were round. The cytoplasm contained a pair of centrioles, the Golgi complex, solitary lamellae of the GER, free polysomes, lipid droplets and some coated vesicles. The PGC entered the gonadal cords before these were surrounded by the continuous basal lamina. A day later (22 d) the number and length of the cords were increased. The PGC were more frequent and seen also in deeper layers. All the structures studied at the age of 21-22 d showed that the gonadal ridge also at the ultrastructural level is at the sexually indifferent stage.