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Lipid globules at the midpieces of Glyptocidaris crenularis spermatozoa and their relation to energy metabolism
Author(s) -
Mita Masatoshi,
Nakamura Masaru
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/mrd.1080340207
Subject(s) - spermatozoon , incubation , biology , lipid metabolism , globules of fat , metabolism , fatty acid , biochemistry , lipid droplet , food science , anatomy , ultrastructure , milk fat , linseed oil
Spermatozoa of the sea urchin, Glyptocidaris crenularis , use endogenous triglycerides (TG), not phosphatidylcholine, to produce energy for swimming. This study was undertaken to examine ultrastructurally the location of TG available for utilization in energy metabolism in these spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon contained several lipid globules at the bottom of the midpiece. Following incubation with sea water, both the number and size of the lipid globules decreased significantly. The total volume of lipid globules in each spermatozoon was roughly halved after 1 h of incubation. Similarly, about half of the TG was metabolized during the same incubation period. Oxygen consumption by spermatozoa during the incubation indicated the oxidation of fatty acid derived from TG. Thus it appears that G. crenularis spermatozoa obtain energy through oxidation of fatty acid from TG stored in the lipid globules within their midpieces. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.