Seminiferous tubule

Seminiferous tubules are located within the testes, and are the specific location of meiosis, and the
subsequent creation of male gametes, namely spermatozoa. Seminiferous tubule
The epithelium of the tubule consists of a type of sustentacular cells known as Sertoli cells, which are tall,
columnar type cells that line the tubule.

In between the Sertoli cells are spermatogenic cells, which differentiate through meiosis to sperm cells.
Sertoli cells function to nourish the developing sperm cells. They secrete androgen-binding protein, a binding
protein which increases the concentration of testosterone inside the seminiferous tubules. Embryologically,
they also secrete the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) necessary for the female Müllerian ducts to regress.

There are two types: convoluted and straight, convoluted toward the lateral side, and straight as the tubule
comes medially to form ducts that will exit the testis.

The seminiferous tubules are formed from the testis cords that develop from the primitive gonadal cords,
formed from the gonadal ridge.

Contents Seminiferous tubule in cross-section

(large tubular structure - center of
Function image) with sperm (black, tiny,
Additional images ovoid bodies furthest from the
outer edge of the tubular structure).
See also
H&E stain.
References

External links

Function
Spermatogenesis, the process for producing spermatozoa, takes place in the seminiferous tubules. During
spermatogenesis, the DNA of spermatogenic cells in the seminiferous tubules is subject to damage from such
sources as reactive oxygen species.[1] The genomic integrity of spermatogenic cells is protected by DNA
repair processes.[2] Deficiencies in the enzymes employed in these repair processes may lead to infertility.[2]

Additional images

1: Testicular septa
2: Convoluted seminiferous tubules
3: Testicular lobules
Seminiferous tubule Longitudinal section Seminiferous tubule Photomicrograph of 4: Straight seminiferous tubules
(right) with sperm through the left side (transverse section). section through rat 5: Efferent ductules
(black, tiny, ovoid). of the scrotum and testis, showing 6: Rete testis
H&E stain. the left testis seminiferous tubules.
(Seminiferous tubules Details
visible in center, but Identifiers
not labeled).
Latin tubuli seminiferi
MeSH D012671 (https://meshb.nlm.
See also nih.gov/record/ui?ui=D01267
1)
Leydig cells TA98 A09.3.01.022 (http://www.uni
fr.ch/ifaa/Public/EntryPage/T
References A98%20Tree/Entity%20TA98%
20EN/09.3.01.022%20Entity%2
1. Mahfouz R, Sharma R, Thiyagarajan A, Kale V, Gupta S, Sabanegh E, Agarwal A (2010). "Semen
0TA98%20EN.htm)
characteristics and sperm DNA fragmentation in infertile men with low and high levels of
seminal reactive oxygen species". Fertil. Steril. 94 (6): 2141–6. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2009.12.030 TA2 3599 (https://ta2viewer.open
(https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.fertnstert.2009.12.030). PMID 20117780 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.g anatomy.org/?id=3599)
ov/20117780).
 2. Gunes S, Al-Sadaan M, Agarwal A (2015). "Spermatogenesis, DNA damage and DNA repair FMA 19825 (https://bioportal.bioo
mechanisms in male infertility" (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.rbmo.2015.06.010). Reprod. Biomed. ntology.org/ontologies/FM
Online. 31 (3): 309–19. doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2015.06.010 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.rbmo.2015.06.01
0). PMID 26206278 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26206278). A/?p=classes&conceptid=htt
p%3A%2F%2Fpurl.org%2Fsig%
2Font%2Ffma%2Ffma19825)
External links
Anatomical terminology
Histology image: 17802loa (http://www.bu.edu/histology/p/17802loa.htm) – Histology Learning
System at Boston University
Image (https://web.archive.org/web/20070420214620/http://www.mccc.edu/~falkow/A%26P%20web/Shawn%27s%20104%20HO/reprod3.jpg)
Diagram (http://faculty.southwest.tn.edu/rburkett/A&P2_r7.jpg)

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This page was last edited on 15 April 2020, at 11:31 (UTC).

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