Instituto de Histología y Embriología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.
Tissue Cell. 1986;18(3):461-8. doi: 10.1016/0040-8166(86)90065-0.
In vertebrates, the testicular permeability barrier has been the subject of numerous studies. Some recent observations also indicate the existence of such a barrier in some invertebrates, e.g. insects and worms. With the aim of determining whether the morphological features of the blood-testis barrier generally found in vertebrates can be extended to other animals, we studied the testis of the insect Triatoma infestans using electron-dense tracers and freeze-fracture techniques. This organ is divided into cysts timed in synchroneous maturation. The intercellular tracer (lanthanum hydroxide) freely penetrates the basal areas of the seminiferous epithelium surrounding spermatogonia and spermatocytes devoid of synaptonemal complexes (pre-leptotene and leptone). Zygotene spermatocytes indicate the establishment of the barrier. Freeze-fracture techniques exhibit the morphological correlate of the barrier consisting of 9-10 nm particle rows on the P faces of the Sertoli cell membranes. These rows are relatively loose showing an undulating disposition and correspond to the septate junctions found in thin sections. The percolation of intercellular tracers demonstrates that septate junctions between the basal membraneous areas of Sertoli cells possess the barrier properties.
在脊椎动物中，睾丸通透屏障一直是众多研究的主题。一些最近的观察结果也表明，在某些无脊椎动物中也存在这样的屏障，例如昆虫和蠕虫。为了确定在脊椎动物中普遍存在的血睾屏障的形态特征是否可以扩展到其他动物，我们使用电子致密示踪剂和冷冻断裂技术研究了昆虫 Triatoma infestans 的睾丸。这个器官被分成同步成熟的滤泡。细胞间示踪剂（氢氧化镧）自由穿透围绕没有联会复合体的精原细胞和精母细胞的生精上皮的基底部（早细线期和细线期）。合线期精母细胞表明屏障的建立。冷冻断裂技术显示了屏障的形态相关性，由 Sertoli 细胞膜的 P 面的 9-10nm 颗粒列组成。这些列相对较松，呈现出波浪状排列，与在薄切片中发现的有丝分裂连接相对应。细胞间示踪剂的渗透表明，Sertoli 细胞基底膜区域之间的有丝分裂连接具有屏障特性。
