Active movements of the chromatoid body. A possible transport mechanism for haploid gene products

Abstract

Recent data indicate that the chromatoid body typical of rat spermatogenesis may contain RNA synthesized in early spermatids by the haploid genome. Analyses of living step-1 and step-3 spermatids by time-lapse cinephotomicrography have shown that the chromatoid body moves in relation to the nuclear envelope in two different ways. Predominantly in step 1, the chromatoid body moves along the nuclear envelope on a wide area surrounding the Golgi complex and has frequent transient contacts with the latter organelle. In step 3, the chromatoid body was shown to move perpendicular to the nuclear envelope. It was seen located very transiently at the top of prominent outpocketings of the nuclear envelope with apparent material continuities through nuclear pore complexes to intranuclear particles. The rapid movements of the chromatoid body are suggested to play a role in the transport of haploid gene products in the early spermatids, including probably nucleocytoplasmic RNA transport.