Possible Involvement of a Sperm-associated Body in the Process of Fertilization in Quail(Morphology)

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The present paper describes a novel structure, termed the sperm-associated body, which is found both in the lumen at the oviductal infundibulum and in the vitelline membrane of the ovum in the quail Coturnix japonica. The fully developed sperm-associated body, which is about 100μm long, consisted of two parts; a core of concentric-circular appearance and a cortex of needle-like projections. The outer surface of the body was coated with CaCO_3. The body was always accompanied by spermatozoa. About 70 sperm-associated bodies were observed in a single ovum. Electron-microscopically, small numbers of holes were detected in the vitelline membranes of a fertile ovum, and the sperm-associated bodies were always present in these holes. Frequently observed in the vitelline membranes was a disk speculated to be a portion of the inner layer of the membrane partially affected by spermatozoa. However, neither sperm-associated bodies nor spermatozoa were observed there. It was suggested that the sperm-associated bodies assist fertile spermatozoa in binding the inner layer of the vitelline membrane and penetrating it.
社団法人日本動物学会の論文
2004-08-25