The Functional Morphology and Adaptations of the Epididymis in a Testicndid Mammal, The Rufous Sengi (Elephantulus rufescens).
Date
2011Author
Onyango, DW
Oduor-Okelo, D
Makanya, AN
Kisipan, ML
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Sengis are testicondid African mammals that constitute
Order Macroscelidae. The epididymal mo
rphology in the
rufous sengis (
Elephantulus rufescens
) was studied with
focus on features and adaptations that make
it suitable
for sperm maturation and storage in
this testicondid
mammal. The three topographic regions were distinct
with the caput and cau
da epididymis placed
far apart,
connected by a slender corpus. The caput occurred as a
longitudinal mass on the dorsolateral border of the testis
while the Cauda, pear
shaped mass, was laterally placed
between the rectum and the pelvic urethra. The
epidid
ymal epithelium comprised principal and basal
cells; the former exhibiting granules and apical blebbing
in the caput. The lumen of the cauda was densely
packed with spermatozoa that are occasionally wrapped
by amorphous dark masses, and its principal cells
had
numerous vacuoles. This study demonstrates that beside
merocrine secretion, principal cells of sengi’s caput also
exhibit apocrine secretion as shown by apical blebs. The
blebs are shed off plausibly as a means of delivering
epididymosomes to the lum
en, which in turn transfer
epididymis
secreted proteins to the spermatozoa.
Additionally, the study has shown that the cauda
epididymis descends to a site probably cooler than the
core body temperature for optimal sperm storage, with
the vacuoles indicatin
g its involvement in fluid re
absorption and phagocytosis.
URI
http://www.ajol.info/index.php/kenvet/article/view/75498http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/33874
Citation
The Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 35 (1) 2011Publisher
Department of Veterinary Anatomy & Physiology, Univer sity of Nairobi