Actin-like filaments in the Sertoli cell junctional specializations in the swine and mouse testis

Abstract

Microfilaments at the junctional specializations between adjacent Sertoli cells and between the Sertoli cell and the late spermatid of the mouse and swine testes bind HMM and form arrowhead complexes with a periodicity of about 35 nm. The arrowhead formation is inhibited when the tissues are treated with HMM in the presence of ATP. These observations show that the microfilaments are actin-like in nature. The functional significance of these filaments in the Sertoli cell is discussed.