Fig. 3

Damaged acrosome-acroplaxome-manchette complex causes small head sperm in Actl7a-KO mice. (A) Testicular germ cells prepared from WT and Actl7a-KO adult mice were stained using the antibody against α-tubulin (purple), PNA (green) and phalloidin (red) to show the manchette, acrosome and acroplaxome formation, respectively. The nucleus was stained with DAPI (blue). Different steps of spermiogenesis were depicted on the basis of co-immunofluorescence staining. The distance from the perinuclear ring of the manchette to the caudal side of the head is indicated by double-headed arrows. Scale bars: 10 μm. (B) TEM analysis in WT and Actl7a-KO mice shows spermatids at steps 10 ~ 11. Actl7a-KO spermatids show acrosome detachment and loosened acroplaxome. The manchette seems abnormally elongated and malformed in Actl7a-KO mice. N, nucleus; ac (arrowhead), acrosome; apx (arrow), acroplaxome; m, manchette; asterisk, perinuclear ring. Scale bars: 1 μm and 0.5 μm