Silver Staining of Nucleolus Organizer Regions During Human Spermatogenesis

Overview

Journal Hum Genet

Specialty Genetics

Date 1983 Jan 1

PMID 6618489

Citations 11

Authors

M Schmid

H Muller

S Stasch

W Engel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The sizes and staining intensities of the nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) in human spermatogenesis were studied qualitatively and quantitatively with the silver (Ag)-staining technique. The Ag-stainability of the NORs is a measure of the transcriptional activity of the ribosomal RNA genes. Ag-stained NORs are present during the whole period of meiotic prophase up to pachytene and totally absent in the two meiotic metaphases. In the early spermatids the Ag-stainability of the NORs reappears and persists up to the beginning of the elongation phase of the nuclei. This pattern of NOR-activity during spermatogenesis is common for all vertebrates. However, in human spermatogenesis the absolute sizes of the NORs in the pre- and postmeiotic stages as well as the interphase arrangement of the postmeiotically reactivated NORs show characteristic properties not found in any other species. The cytochemistry of the argentophilic material, the significance of the synthesis of ribosomal RNA in spermatogenesis, and the characteristic arrangement of the Ag-stained NORs in the spermatids are discussed.

Citing Articles

Chromosome Dynamics Regulating Genomic Dispersion and Alteration of Nucleolus Organizer Regions (NORs).

Hirai H Cells. 2020; 9(4).

PMID: 32326514 PMC: 7227013. DOI: 10.3390/cells9040971.

Structural variations of subterminal satellite blocks and their source mechanisms as inferred from the meiotic configurations of chimpanzee chromosome termini.

Hirai H, Hirai Y, Udono T, Matsubayashi K, Tosi A, Koga A Chromosome Res. 2019; 27(4):321-332.

PMID: 31418128 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-019-09615-z.

The effect of Robertsonian translocations on the intranuclear positioning of NORs (nucleolar organizing regions) in human sperm cells.

Wiland E, Olszewska M, Huleyuk N, Chernykh V, Kurpisz M Sci Rep. 2019; 9(1):2213.

PMID: 30778082 PMC: 6379386. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38478-x.

Culture and identification of spirochetes in human vaginal and seminal secretions.

Middelveen M, Burke J, Sapi E, Bandoski C, Filush K, Wang Y F1000Res. 2017; 3:309.

PMID: 28690828 PMC: 5482345. DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.5778.3.

Nucleolus size variation during meiosis and NOR activity of a B chromosome in the grasshopper Eyprepocnemis plorans.

Teruel M, Cabrero J, Perfectti F, Camacho J Chromosome Res. 2007; 15(6):755-65.

PMID: 17609866 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-007-1159-5.

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