Ultrastructure of Reproduction

• Content.- One: Gametogenesis.- 1. Origin of the germ cell line.- 2. Ultrastructure of primordial germ cells in the early chick embryo.- 3. Germ and somatic cell interactions during gonadal morphogenesis.- 4. Germ cell differentiation and intercellular bridges.- 5. Spermiation — the sperm release process: Ultrastructural observations and unresolved problems.- 6. Fine structural features of Sertoli cells.- 7. Membrane organization and differentiation in the Guinea pig spermatozoon.- 8. Comparative aspects of acrosomal formation.- 9. Changes in the sperm surface during maturation in the epididymis.- 10. The human spermatozoon.- 11. Structure and evolution of the nucleolus during oogenesis.- 12. Ultrastructural changes in ovarian oocytes induced by ionizing radiations.- 13. Association of oocytes with follicular cells, and oocyte chromatin during maturation.- Two: Fertilization and Embryogenesis.- 14. Problems in the analysis of mammalian fertilization.- 15. Ultrastructure of human fertilization.- 16. The cell surface of the mammalian embryo during early development.- 17. The mosaic organization of the preimplantation embryo.- 18. Virus-like particles and related expressions in mammalian oocytes and preimplantation stage embryos.- 19. Crystalline inclusions in embryonic and maternal cells.- 20. Cellular aspects of implantation.- 21. The fine structure and function of the trophoblast during normal and delayed implantation.

'This book is suitable for advanced students, and particularly for researchers in the fields of reproductive and developmental biology. The chapters on human reproduction are recommendable for clinicians.' Arch. Histol. Jap., 49:1 (1986)