Studies of an acrosomal defect in spermatozoa from a platinum fox
Nyberg, K.; Andersen, K.
Nordisk Veterinaermedicin 27(5): 366-369
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-1579 PMID: 1153278 Document Number: 88249
Spermatozoa were studied under light and electron microscopy. The defect, occurring in about 40% of the spermatozoa, appeared under phase-contrast and bright field microscopy as a knob-like irregularity, mostly rounded or slightly triangular in outline, and situated in the apical part of the sperm head. Electron microscopy of the sperm head revealed a marked deviation from the normal development of the acrosome. In most cases, this structure contained a large membrane-bounded vacuole filled with numerous small vesicles and some membranous material. In spermatids studied in the cap phase, the developing acrosome exhibited a high degree of abnormal morphology, indicating that the development of the defect must have started early during the formation of the acrosome.