Seminiferous tubule

Seminiferous tubule
Seminiferous tubule
Seminiferous tubule and sperm low mag.jpg
Seminiferous tubule in cross-section (large tubular structure - center of image) with sperm (black, tiny, ovoid bodies furthest from the outer edge of the tubular structure). H&E stain.
Illu testis schematic.jpg
1: Testicular septa
2: Convoluted seminiferous tubules
3: Testicular lobules
4: Straight seminiferous tubules
5: Efferent ductules
6: Rete testis
Latin tubuli seminiferi
Gray's subject #258 1243
MeSH Seminiferous+Tubules

Seminiferous tubules are located in the testes, and are the specific location of meiosis, and the subsequent creation of gametes, namely spermatozoa.

The epithelium of the tubule consists of sustentacular or Sertoli cells, which are tall, columnar type cells that line the tubule.

In between the Sertoli cells are spermatogenic cells, which differentiate through meiosis to sperm cells.

There are two types: convoluted and straight, convoluted toward the lateral side, and straight as the tubule comes medially to form ducts that will exit the testis.

The seminiferous tubules are formed from primitive sex cords. It is the medullary cords which develop into the seminiferous tubules and the cortical cords regress. The cords were formed from the gonadal ridge.

Additional images

  • Seminiferous tubule (right) with sperm (black, tiny, ovoid). H&E stain.

  • Transverse section through the left side of the scrotum and the left testis. (Semeniferous tubules visible in center, but not labeled.)


See also

External links

v · d · eMale reproductive system (TA A09.3–4, TH H3.07.02, GA 11.1236)
Internal
layers (Tunica vaginalis, Tunica albuginea, Tunica vasculosa testis) · Appendix · Mediastinum · Lobules · Septa · Leydig cell · Sertoli cell · Blood-testis barrier
Other
Accessory
glands
External

M: ♂ MRS

anat/phys/devp

noco/cong/tumr, sysi/epon

proc, drug (G3B/4BE/4C)
microscopic shot of seminiferous tubule (cross section)
photomicrograph of rat testis

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • seminiferous tubule — n any of the coiled threadlike tubules that make up the bulk of the testis and are lined with a layer of epithelial cells from which the spermatozoa are produced * * * any of the long convoluted tubules that make up the bulk of the testis …   Medical dictionary

  • seminiferous tubule — noun any of the numerous long convoluted tubules in the testis which are the sites where spermatozoa mature • Hypernyms: ↑tubule • Part Holonyms: ↑testis, ↑testicle, ↑orchis, ↑ball, ↑ballock, ↑bollock, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • seminiferous tubule — noun Date: 1860 any of the coiled threadlike tubules that make up the bulk of the testis and are lined with a layer of epithelial cells from which the spermatozoa are produced …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • seminiferous tubule — Anat. any of the coiled tubules of the testis in which spermatozoa are produced. [1855 60] * * * …   Universalium

  • seminiferous tubule — any of the long convoluted tubules that make up the bulk of the testis …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • seminiferous tubule — seminif′erous tu′bule n. hic (lab cbl)anat. any of the coiled tubules of the testis in which spermatozoa are produced • Etymology: 1855–60 …   From formal English to slang

  • seminiferous tubule dysgenesis — Klinefelter syndrome …   Medical dictionary

  • Tubule — A small tube. * * * A small tube. SYN: tubulus [TA]. [L. tubulus, dim. of tubus, tube] Albarran y Dominguez tubules SYN: Albarran glands, under gland. connecting t. a narrow arching t. of the kidney joining the distal convoluted t. and the… …   Medical dictionary

  • tubule — n. (in anatomy) a small cylindrical hollow structure. See also: renal tubule, seminiferous tubule …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • Каналец Семенной Извитой (Seminiferous Tubule) — длинная извитая трубочка диаметром 150 250 мкм и длиной 30 70 см каждая. В паренхиме каждой дольки яичка содержится 2 4 извитых семенных канальца, в которых осуществляется процесс сперматогенеза. Источник: Медицинский словарь …   Медицинские термины

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