IHEM   20887
INSTITUTO DE HISTOLOGIA Y EMBRIOLOGIA DE MENDOZA DR. MARIO H. BURGOS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Apoptosis and Blood-Testis Barrier During the First Spermatogenic Wave in the Pubertal Rat
Autor/es:
MORALES, A, MOHAMED, F., CAVICCHIA, J.C.
Revista:
ANATOMICAL RECORD
Editorial:
Wiley-Liss
Referencias:
Año: 2007 vol. 290 p. 206 - 214
ISSN:
0003-276X
Resumen:
ABSTRACT
This research explores the initial assembly of the bloodtestis barrier
(BTB) during puberty, when a massive physiological apoptosis in the first
spermatogenic wave takes place. Fragments of testis from 14- to 20-dayold
rats were studied by conventional transmission electron microscopic
techniques. Lanthanum hydroxide was used as an intercellular tracer.
Light microscopy was used to confirm apoptotic death when paraffin-embedded
sections were studied by TUNEL analysis. When the seminiferous
cords reached the zygotenepachytene spermatocyte level, they exhibited
abundant apoptotic figures, whereas the remaining segments showed sporadic
apoptosis. We found a BTB not yet assembled in the cords with
zygotenepachytene spermatocytes and abundant apoptosis. The observed
apoptosis frequency diminished drastically when BTB was organized, as
confirmed by the use of the tracer. Our conclusion is that the massive apoptosis
found in the zygotenepachytene spermatocytes between days 14
and 20 coincides with an open BTB. The absence of BTB could be one of
the factors causing massive apoptosis of zygotenepachytene spermatocytes,
at least within the time span analyzed. The zygotenepachytene
spermatocytes are left exposed in an open environment instead of being
isolated in the adluminal compartment to which they are destined.