Premium
Glycoconjugates of the urodele amphibian testis shown by lectin cytochemical methods
Author(s) -
Sáez Francisco José,
Madrid Juan Francisco,
Cardoso Sergio,
Gómez Laura,
Hernández Francisco
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/jemt.20059
Subject(s) - glycoconjugate , pleurodeles , lectin , amphibian , glycan , biology , spermiogenesis , glycoprotein , biochemistry , spermatogenesis , microbiology and biotechnology , germ cell , developmental biology , endocrinology , ecology , gene
Lectin histochemistry is a useful method that allows the in situ identification of the terminal sugar moieties of the carbohydrates that form the glycoconjugates. Moreover, when it is combined with chemical or enzymatic deglycosylation pretreatments, lectin histochemistry can be employed to determine if carbohydrates are linked to the protein core by means of an N‐ or O‐glycosidic linkage or, indeed, to partially sequence the sugar chains. One of the most interesting model organs for the study of spermatogenesis is the amphibian urodele testis. However, this organ has not been very widely investigated with lectin histochemical research. In the last few years, we have carried out a research project to identify and locate glycoconjugates in the testis of the urodele Pleurodeles waltl , the Spanish newt, as a first approach to identify possible carbohydrates with key roles in spermatogenesis. Our findings reveal some glycan chains located in a fusome‐like structure in early (diploid) germ cells, oligosaccharides with terminal GalNAc in the acrosome, the occurrence of glycan modifications in the acrosomal contents during spermiogenesis, and changes in glycan composition of follicle and interstitial cells during the spermatogenetic cycle. Furthermore, the similar labeling pattern of follicle and duct cells supports the hypothesis for a common origin of both cell types. Microsc. Res. Tech. 64:63–76, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.