A study of the spermatozoon of the fowl, with particular reference to osmiophilic bodies in the sperm head

Abstract

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to learn something of the nature of the bead‐like bodies which occur in the head of the sperm of the fowl since it was found in a previous study that they are apparently affected in a characteristic manner by vitamin E deficiency.Staining tests indicate that these bodies are composed of fats and fatty acids since they respond to osmic acid and Nile blue sulphate. They are also impregnated with silver nitrate and hence may be associated with the so‐called Golgi materials of the cell.The beads first appear as a complete single row but subsequently they undergo fragmentation and redistribution. The whole process is probably a final transitory step in sperm transformation.The presence of this fatty material may signify that the sperm of the fowl, in contrast to that of most other animals, carries a store of food material to support its activity after liberation. The sperm may also be the carrier of a definite amount of vitamin E. Furthermore, the presence of this material may offer an explanation of the high resistance of the testis of the fowl to vitamin E deficiency because, since this vitamin is fat soluble, the testis as a whole would probably receive a disproportionately large share of the vitamin E stores of the individual.