SHORT COMMUNICATIONS: Localization of Oviductal Sperm-storage Tubules in the American Kestrel (\u3ci\u3eFalco sparverius\u3c/i\u3e)

Sperm-storage tubules (SST) are discrete tubular invaginations of the bird\u27s oviduct epithelium located in the anterior end of the vaginal folds, a region generally referred to as the uterovaginal junction (UVJ). [We prefer to refer to the UVJ sperm-storage sites collectively as the SST (originally used by Mero and Ogasawara 1970) because SST accurately describes their function and structure.] Of the 27 recognized orders of birds, SST have been identified histologically only in selected species of Charadriiformes and Procellariformes (Hatch 1983), Galliformes (Fujii and Tamura 1963), Anseriformes (Pal 1977), and Passeriformes (Bray et al. 1975). Whether SST are structures common to all birds, as suggested by Gilbert (1979) and Hatch (1983), remains to be investigated. The presence of SST has not been demonstrated histologically in the Falconiformes. The high frequency of copulations in the course of laying one clutch of eggs prompted Corten (1973) to suggest that SST do not exist in the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis). Bird and Buckland (1976) observed the mean duration of fertility following artificial insemination of the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) to be 8.1 days (range = 4-12 days). They suggested that SST were present in the oviduct. We present evidence that SST exist at the UVJ of the American Kestrel. In addition, a technique for the precise localization and isolation of oviductal mucosa containing SST is described

Restoration of spermatogenesis after transplantation of c-Kit positive testicular cells in the fowl

Transplantation of male germ line cells into sterilized recipients has been used in mammals for conventional breeding as well as for transgenesis. We have previously adapted this approach for the domestic chicken and we present now an improvement of the germ cell transplantation technique by using an enriched subpopulation of c-Kit-positive spermatogonia as donor cells. Dispersed c-Kit positive testicular cells from 16 to 17 week-old pubertal donors were transplanted by injection directly into the testes of recipient males sterilized by repeated gamma irradiation. We describe the repopulation of the recipient’s testes with c-Kit positive donor testicular cells, which resulted in the production of functional heterologous spermatozoa. Using manual semen collection, the first sperm production in the recipient males was observed about nine weeks after the transplantation. The full reproduction cycle was accomplished by artificial insemination of hens and hatching of chickens

Restoration of spermatogenesis after transplantation of c-Kit positive testicular cells in the fowl

Transplantation of male germ line cells into sterilized recipients has been used in mammals for conventional breeding as well as for transgenesis. We have previously adapted this approach for the domestic chicken and we present now an improvement of the germ cell transplantation technique by using an enriched subpopulation of c-Kit-positive spermatogonia as donor cells. Dispersed c-Kit positive testicular cells from 16 to 17 week-old pubertal donors were transplanted by injection directly into the testes of recipient males sterilized by repeated gamma irradiation. We describe the repopulation of the recipient’s testes with c-Kit positive donor testicular cells, which resulted in the production of functional heterologous spermatozoa. Using manual semen collection, the first sperm production in the recipient males was observed about nine weeks after the transplantation. The full reproduction cycle was accomplished by artificial insemination of hens and hatching of chickens

BMQ

BMQ: Boston Medical Quarterly was published from 1950-1966 by the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals

Scope

Scope, later retitled Centerscope, was published by the Boston University Medical Center to report on events at and around the Center

Fate of Fluorescent Stained Sperm following Insemination: New Light on Oviducal Sperm Transport and Storage in the Turkey

A novel approach was used to evaluate the distribution of sperm in the oviduct of turkey hens inseminated before or after the onset of egg production. Prior to insemination, sperm were stained with the nuclear fluorescent stain bisbenzimide. Sperm distribution in the sperm storage tubules (SST) of the uterovaginal junction and the infundibular tubular glands was determined by use of simultaneous differential interference contrast and fluorescence microscopy. In hens inseminated and examined prior to the onset of egg production, 94% of the SST contained sperm (21% were filled). In contrast, in hens inseminated initially before the onset of egg production and examined after the onset of lay, only 73% of the SST contained sperm (5% were filled); and in hens inseminated initially after the onset of lay and then examined, 78% of the SST contained sperm (4% were filled). Sperm were sparsely distributed in the infundibular tubular glands. Therefore, lower percentages of filled SST were associated with the onset of egg production, an indication that the sperm storage capacity of the SST is diminished with the onset and continuation of egg production. Physical events associated with the daily ovulatory cycle, such as rotation of the egg mass during shell formation, may both displace sperm residing in the SST and diminish the efficacy of sperm entry into the SST

Future Developments in Artificial Insemination Technology

The development of artificial insemination (AI) technology over the past decade has resulted in some significant advances in poultry breeding. However, because there are few poultry scientists performing fundamental research to advance AI technology, alternative approaches must be examined in an effort to expand AI technology. This paper suggests that the technology available for cell and tissue culture propagation should be evaluated and the applicability of this technology to poultry AI technology assessed. Instrumentation and clinical testing procedures used for the evaluation of somatic cells in culture could provide objective data before and after semen storage on large numbers of males in a short period of time. Furthermore, cell culture media and supplements already commercially available may be useful in the storage of semen for 24 h or longer

Structure of the Avian Oviduct With Emphasis on Sperm Storage in Poultry

The macroanatomy, histology, and fine structure of the avian oviduct is reviewed and related to its role in fertile egg production. The avian oviduct functions as a biological assembly line, beginning sequentially with the deposition of the albumen around the fertilized or unfertilized ovum, then the shell membrane, and lastly, the shell, all within 25 hr of ovulation. While in transit through the oviduct, the fertilized ovum progresses to the pre-gastrulation stage of development