Ultrastructure of the Human Testis from Birth to Senility

From birth to puberty the testis is a dynamic structure, and the knowledge of its evolution is an important consideration in interpreting biopsies from children. On the other hand, in the normal adult testis, it is frequent to find several peculiar structures which might be misinterpreted as anomalies when the pathologist does not have a good grasp of the subject. It is also to take into account that the testis shows progressive alterations with age. Most of them are not specific and should not be but are present in a variety of pathologies.

The present work is the results of several decades studying testicular biopsy and autopsy specimens by the authors, who have selected the most relevant material and ordered it to illustrate the evolution of the human testis from birth to senility. Micrographs were taken in the Service of Pathology of the La Paz Hospital, Madrid, and the University Clinic of Salamanca, Spain. These pictures offer many well-known facts and new findings which have not been published elsewhere.

Sample Chapter(s)
The Testis From Birth To Puberty (2558 KB)

Components of the Book:

FRONT MATTER

PART I: THE TESTIS FROM BIRTH TO PUBERTY

FIGURE 1. PREPUBERTAL TESTIS: NEWBORN TESTIS
FIGURE 2. PREPUBERTAL TESTIS: INFANTILE TESTIS
FIGURE 3. PREPUBERTAL TESTIS: Ap AND Ad SPERMATOGONIA
FIGURE 4. A SPERMATOGONIA: THE NUCLEOLI
FIGURE 5. A SPERMATOGONIA: NUCLEAR ENVELOPE AND INTERMITOCHONDRIAL BARS
FIGURE 6. A SPERMATOGONIA: THE NUAGE AND THE LUBARSCH'S CRYSTALS
FIGURE 7. A SPERMATOGONIA: INTRANUCLEAR BODIES AND INTERCELLULAR BRIDGES
FIGURE 8. A SPERMATOGONIA: VACUOLES AND CILIA. B SPERMATOGONIA
FIGURE 9. PRIMARY SPERMATOCYTES IN INFANT TESTES
FIGURE 10. THE PREPUBERTAL SERTOLI CELL
FIGURE 11. THE PREPUBERTAL SERTOLI CELL FILAMENTS
FIGURE 12. THE TUNICA PROPRIA AND TESTICULAR INTERSTITIUM OF THE PREPUBERTAL TESTIS
FIGURE 13. THE TUNICA PROPRIA OF THE PREPUBERTAL TESTIS
FIGURE 14. LEYDIG CELLS IN THE PREPUBERTAL TESTIS
FIGURE 15. PERITUBULAR LEYDIG CELLS IN THE PREPUBERTAL TESTIS
FIGURE 16. PUBERTAL TESTIS. THE ONSET OF SERTOLI CELL MATURATION
FIGURE 17. PUBERTAL TESTIS. MATURATION OF THE SERTOLI CELL AND THE BASAL LAMINA
FIGURE 18. PUBERTAL TESTIS. LEYDIG CELL DIFFERENTIATION

PART II: THE ADULT TESTIS

FIGURE 19. SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES
FIGURE 20. SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
FIGURE 21. TYPES OF SPERMATOGONIA
FIGURE 22. Ad, Ap AND Ac SPERMATOGONIA
FIGURE 23. AL SPERMATOGONIA
FIGURE 24. A SPERMATOGONIA: NUCLEOLI AND INTRANUCLEAR BODIES
FIGURE 25. A SPERMATOGONIA: BLEBS AND STRIPES OF THE NUCLEAR ENVELOPE, AND MITOCONDRIA
FIGURE 26. B SPERMATOGONIA
FIGURE 27. MITOSES IN SPERMAGONIA
FIGURE 28. PRIMARY SPERMATOCYTES: INTERPHASE, LEPTOTENE AND ZYGOTENE STAGES
FIGURE 29. PRIMARY SPERMATOCYTES: SYNAPTONEMAL COMPLEXES
FIGURE 30. PRIMARY SPERMATOCYTES: PACHYTENE
FIGURE 31. LAST STAGES OF THE FIRST MEIOTIC DIVISION
FIGURE 32. SECONDARY SPERMATOCYTES
FIGURE 33. SPERMATIDS: START OF THE ACROSOME AND FLAGELLUM
FIGURE 34. SPERMATIDS: ANNULATE LAMELLAE AND CHROMATOID BODY
FIGURE 35. SPERMATIDS: ACROSOME DEVELOPMENT AND START OF NUCLEAR ELONGATION
FIGURE 36. SPERMATIDS: FLAGELLUM DEVELOPMENT AND PECULIAR STRUCTURES
FIGURE 37. SPERMATIDS: THE ACROSOME STRUCTURE AND NUCLEOLAR REGRESSION
FIGURE 38. SPERMATIDS: THE FUSIFORM BODY, THE MANCHETTE AND CHROMATIN CONDENSATION
FIGURE 39. SPERMATIDS: THE FLAGELLUM NECK
FIGURE 40. SPERMATOGENESIS. GERM CELL LINE DEVELOPMENT
FIGURE 41. SPERMATOZOOA
FIGURE 42. THE SPERMATOZOON STRUCTURE
FIGURE 43. THE CYCLE OF THE SEMINIFEROUS EPITHELIUM: STAGES OF THE CYCLE
FIGURE 44. THE CYCLE OF THE SEMINIFEROUS EPITHELIUM: SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CYCLE
FIGURE 45. THE SERTOLI CELL
FIGURE 46. SERTOLI CELLS: THE NUCLEUS
FIGURE 47. SERTOLI CELLS: THE CYTOPLASM
FIGURE 48. SERTOLI CELLS: ANNULATE LAMELLAE
FIGURE 49. INTER SERTOLI CELL JUNCTIONAL SPECIALIZATIONS
FIGURE 50. SERTOLI CELL-GERM CELL JUNCTIONS AND INNERVATION
FIGURE 51. THE TUNICA PROPRIA: THE BASEMENT MEMBRANE
FIGURE 52. THE TUNICA PROPRIA: THE PERITUBULAR CELLS
FIGURE 53. THE LEYDIG CELL
FIGURE 54. LEYDIG CELLS: REINKE’S CRYSTALS
FIGURE 55. LEYDIG CELLS: LIPIDS, LYSOSOMES AND CILIA
FIGURE 56. LEYDIG CELLS: JUNCTIONS, INNERVATION AND MITOSES
FIGURE 57. OTHER CELLS OF THE TESTICULAR INTERSTITIUM

PART III: THE AGING TESTIS

FIGURE 58. TESTICULAR INVOLUTION WITH AGING
FIGURE 59. STAGES OF SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES INVOLUTION
FIGURE 60. GERM CELL DEATH AND SLOUGHING
FIGURE 61. SPERMATOGONIAL ANOMALIES
FIGURE 62. SPERMATOCYTE ANOMALIES
FIGURE 63. DISLOCATED AND MULTINUCLEATE SPERMATIDS
FIGURE 64. SPERMATIDS WITH ACROSOMAL MALFORMATIONS
FIGURE 65. SPERMATIDS WITH NUCLEAR AND CYTOPLASMIC MALFORMATIONS
FIGURE 66. SPERMATOZOON MALFORMATIONS
FIGURE 67. COLIED TAILS AND BIFLAGELLATE SPERMATOZOA
FIGURE 68. SERTOLI CELLS ANOMALIES: LIPIDS AND VACUOLES
FIGURE 69. SERTOLI CELLS ANOMALIES: EXTENSIVE JUNCTIONAL SPECIALIZATIONS AND MULTINUCLEATION
FIGURE 70. SERTOLI CELL ANOMALIES: MITOCHONDRIAL METAPLASIA AND DEDIFFERENTIATION
FIGURE 71. SERTOLI CELL ANOMALIES: KERATIN EXPRESSION AND DECREASE IN VIMENTIN
FIGURE 72. TUNICA PROPRIA ANOMALIES: COLLAGENIZATION AND BASAL LAMINA ALTERATIONS
FIGURE 73. TUNICA PROPRIA ANOMALIES: DECREASED ACTIN AND DESMIN EXPRESSION
FIGURE 74. LEYDIG CELL ALTERATIONS: MULTINUCLEATION AND INCREASED LIPOFUSCIN CONTENT
FIGURE 75. LEYDIG CELL ALTERATIONS: MULTIVACUOLATED, LIPID-LOADED CELLS
FIGURE 76. LEYDIG CELL ALTERATIONS: INCREASED REINKE’S CRYSTALS AND PARACRYSTALLINE INCLUSIONS
FIGURE 77. LEYDIG CELL ALTERATIONS: INTRANUCLEAR INCLUSIONS AND DEDIFFERENTIATION
FIGURE 78. LEYDIG CELL ALTERATIONS: DIMINISHED TESTOSTERONE SYNTHESIS

PART IV: REFERENCES

Readership: Medicine professionals and /or researchers involved in the above mentioned fields.

1		FRONT MATTER PDF (273 KB)

11		PART I: THE TESTIS FROM BIRTH TO PUBERTY PDF (25977 KB)

57		PART II: THE ADULT TESTIS PDF (24097 KB)

155		PART III: THE AGING TESTIS PDF (27831 KB)

210		PART IV: REFERENCES PDF (281 KB)

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Ricardo Paniagua Gómez-Álvarez
Professor of Cell Biology,Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Alcalá, Spain

Pedro Amat Muñoz
Professor Deceased of Human Anatomy and Embryology,University of Salamanca, Spain

Manuel Nistal Martín De Serrano
Professor Emeritus of Histology,Department of Morphology Autonomous, University of Madrid, Spain

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