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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Trends Genet. 2017 Sep 22;33(12):971–978. doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.09.001

Figure 2. Germ cell cyst formation during spermatogenesis.

Figure 2

Despite the lack of a nursing mechanism, male germ cells also develop germline cysts. Germ cell connectivity in post-meiotic spermatids has been proposed to help complement haploid genomes (X chromosome products shared by Y-containing spermatids, and vice versa). Note that spermatocytes are still interconnected with sibling spermatocytes while undergoing meiosis and spermiogenesis (although depicted as a single cell). Mitotically-dividing spermatogonia are also interconnected with sibling cells both in Drosophila and mice.