Presence of aberrant epididymal tubules revealing undifferentiated epithelial cells and absence of spermatozoa in a combined neuraminidase-3 and -4 deficient adult mouse model - Fig 5

EM of the corpus epididymidis of WT (A) and neu3-/-neu4-/- (B-F) mice. In (A), P cells reach the Lu and contain Spz. Nuclei (N) are more or less spherical and regular in appearance. A thin BM underlies the epithelium and several My layers are seen. In (B), P cells reach the Lu where Spz are plentiful. Nuclei (N) of P cells are highly irregular in form. One N encircles organelles of the cytoplasm (N2). Some P cells contain more than one nucleus (N1). A BC is filled with huge L. The base of P cells and a BC shows small thin foot-like processes (arrows) that project into a highly convoluted BM. In (C) a NC is filled with large endosomes (E) and L. In (D) a BC filled with huge L reveals thin foot-like processes (arrows) that project into a highly anastomotic BM. In (E), gigantic endosomes (E) and L appear in the cytoplasm of a P cell revealing an elaborate G. In (F), a thin continuous squamous circular epithelial cell (SE) is noted surrounding a large Lu revealing microvilli but absence of Spz. The SE contacts the BM by thin foot-like processes. The Lu of the main duct contains Spz. In (E) and (F) a large L appears in the infranuclear cytoplasm of a P cell, one of which is binucleated. Scale bars: Scale bars: A-E = 2μm; F = 10μm.