The chemical nature of the acrosome in the male germ cells.

The close connection of the acrosome of the animal sperm with the Golgi apparatus was first suggested by Bowen' in 1923, who stated that the acrosomal material might be "secreted" from the Golgi apparatus. While his cytological studies seem to support the concept that the acrosome is derived from the Golgi apparatus, the staining methods employed do not allow any conclusions as to the chemical nature of either structure. The recent development of cytochemical procedures, using specific staining reactions for the chemical characterization of cellular constituents in situ now makes possible an analysis of some of the chemical components of the dictyosomal material22 and the acrosome of the male germ cells. Arvelius albopunctatus, an hemipteran insect, provides an especially favorable material for the cytochemical studies, since the different lobes of the testis are characterized by a constant and marked difference in the size of their spermatocytes, spermatids and sperms.2 19, 20 In the present paper evidence is presented that the acrosome of the sperm is derived from the dictyosomes of the primary spermatocytes, and that both contain polysaccharides in a 1,2 glycol grouping. The amount of polysaccharides in the dictyosomal material and in the acrosome of spermatocytes, spermatids and sperms is strikingly higher in the large sized cells of the third and fifth lobes than in the normal and small sized cells of the remaining four lobes. For the identification of the polysaccharides in the cells of the testis we used the microchemical periodic acid Schiff(PAS) reaction resulting in the staining of polysaccharide structures in tissues as described by Hotchkiss5 in 1948. According to Hotchkiss5 and McManus,12 the reaction of periodic acid with carbohydrates, when present as 1,2 glycol grouping, is considered to be the following: