File:Spermatozoa tail cross-section cartoon.jpg

A schematic representation of a typical sperm tail in cross-section

This image is from an historic paper that identified features of the spermatozoa microtubule organisation by EM.

• The outlines of the two central filaments are circular, those of the nine peripheral filaments are of a more complex morphology.
• There are projections between the filaments: the "spokes" in radial direction, here represented by interrupted lines, and the "arms" of the peripheral filaments drawn as solid lines. It is to be noted that the two subunits of one peripheral filament differ.
• The subunit in the clockwise direction is characterized by its slightly larger radial diameter, the connection with the arms as well as with the spokes, and by the tilting of the peripheral filaments that gives the clock- wise side a slightly more central position than the counter-clockwise side.
• The asymmetry of this fila- ment arrangement has made it possible to assign an index number to each of the peripheral filaments. This was done according to the following system.
• Filament 1 is the filament that is located at an equal distance from the centers of the two inner filaments, and the increasing numbers are given to the filaments in the direction of the arms.
• The arms from filament 5 are met by projections in a counter-clockwise direction from filament 6, and the four units seem to form a complex bridge. Further details are presented in the text.

(Drawing by John Spurbeck.)

References

<pubmed>13654448</pubmed>| PDF

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Text Fig.1 PMID 13654448