Male Reproductive Histology

Question 1

Differentiate between the tunica albuginea, the septula testis, the
mediastinum testis, and the lamina propria (“the interstitium”)

Answer 1

tunica albuginea: dense irregular tissue capsule, visceral layer of tunica vaginalis adheres to and blends with this layer

septula testis: extend from the capsule and divide the testis into lobules

mediastinum testis: connective tissue continuation of septa, centrally positioned in all species except equines

lamina propria/interstitium: populated by foamy leydig/interstitial cells

Question 2

Differentiate between the seminiferous (convoluted) tubules, the straight tubules,
the rete testis, the efferent ducts, the epididymal duct, and the ductus deferens.

Answer 2

seminiferous/convoluted tubules: highly coiled, lined with germinal epithelium, U-shaped and both ends of the U converge to form the straight tubule

straight tubules: drain into rete testis network, artifactual pull away and sustentacular cells look like a cotton plug in a test tube

rete testis network: anastomizing channels within the mediastinum, connect straight tubules to efferent ducts, simple low cuboidal epithelium

efferent ducts: converge to form the single epididymal duct; lined by pseudostratified columnar epithelium with cilia and stereocilia

epididymal duct: highly convoluted beginning at head of epididymis, also pseudostratified columnar epi with stereocilia but surrounded by a layer of smooth muscle (more muscle once reach the tail of epididymis)

ductus deferens: thick tunica muscularis!!, pseudostratified columnar epithelium with short cilia

Question 3

Differentiate between the interstitial endocrine cells (of Leydig), the sustentacular
(Sertoli) cells, the spermatogonia, the spermatocytes (primary), the spermatids (round and
elongated forms), the spermatozoa

Answer 3

interstitial endocrine/leydig: foamy, secrete steroid testosterone in response to LH

sustentacular/sertoli: very tall columnar cells with large, often misshapen euchromatic nuclei (basally positioned) and prominent nucleoli, attached to basal lamina with cytoplasm that reaches apical all the way to the lumen around the spermatogonia and cytes

spermatogonia: large, round euchromatic nuclei, in basal compartment of tubule, not uniform in appearance

primary spermatocytes: bob marley cells! large 4N nucleus with clumpy chromatin in adluminal department

spermatids: small haploid nuclei, round spermatid has round, small euchromatic nuclei, elongated have densely heterochromatic bullet-shaped nuclei

(once elongated spermatids released into lumen (spermiation) NOW CALLED SPERMATOZOA!!)

Question 4

differentiate between the acrosome, the head, and the tail of the cell

Answer 4

acrosome: spear tip at top of head

head: head

tail: tail

so sorry

Question 5

Which cells have LH receptors? FSH receptors?

Answer 5

leydig/interstitial: LH
sertoli/sustentacular: FSH

Question 6

ID the epithelium lining the adenomeres of the prostate

Answer 6

simple cuboidal; cytoplasm filled with eosinophilic granules (function unknown)

adenomeres are branching tubuloalveolar, form lots of ducts that converge = compound glands!

Question 7

ID the epithelium lining the urethral lumen

Answer 7

transitional epithelium

Question 8

ID the smooth muscle and CT proper in the capsule of the prostate

Answer 8

smooth muscular capsule

Question 9

Differentiate between the ductus deferens and the ducts of the adenomeres where they all empty into the urethral lumen

Answer 9

ducts of adenomeres are lined by highly eosinophilic simple cuboidal epi!

the ducts of the ductus deferens are epithelium in transition from transitional urethral epithelium to simple cuboidal to columnar that lines the prostatic adenomeres