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. 2012 Jun 22;7(6):e39729. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039729

Figure 4. Morphology of the chromatoid body in Sam68−/− germ cells.

Figure 4

(A, B) Round spermatids were analyzed by electron microscopy to study the possible changes in the morphology of the CB caused by the deletion of Sam68 gene. No differences were found between the early chromatoid bodies (steps 1–3 of round spermatid differentiation) in the control (A) and knockout (C) testes. The knockout CBs appeared condensed and morphologically normal. In late round spermatids (steps 6–8), the knockout CBs appeared mostly normal (D) as compared to the control CBs (B). Abnormalities in the CB morphology were also commonly observed in Sam68−/− late round spermatids, such as decreased amount of the chromatoid material (E) or excess space between the CB lobes (F). Arrows point to the CB. Acrosome is indicated by an asterisk. The genotypes and the steps of spermatid differentiation are shown in the upper right corner of each image. WT, Sam68+/+; KO, Sam68−/−; Nu, nucleus. Scale bar is 2 µm.