Fine structure of the mature spermatozoon of rhynchocinetes typus, crustacea decapoda

The reproductive system of Hippolyte niezabitowskii (Decapoda, Caridea)

Data on the reproductive biology of the genus Hippolyte are available from studies of Hippolyte inermis. These findings support the idea that these species are protandric hermaphrodites, exhibiting sex reversal. However, recent studies of this and other species, such as Hippolyte obliquimanus and Hippolyte williamsi, have not reported sex reversal and suggest a gonochoric condition. In the present study, histological analyses were conducted of the ovaries, testes, oviducts, vasa deferentia and the development of the male appendage. The results of this study show that the Hippolyte niezabitowskii population from southern Spain should also be viewed as a gonochoric species. The study found no evidence of sex reversals. These conclusions are also supported by information on the structure of the population and by the results of studies of the male appendage. The population structure involves different size distributions of males and of females. Size classes 2-14 exhibit substantial overlap. No evidence of sex reversal was obtained from the study of the male appendage.

Egg coats of the rock shrimp Rhynchocinetes typus: ultrastructural characterization and their function during fertilization

The aim of the present work was to characterize structurally and ultrastructurally the egg coats of the rock shrimp, Rhynchocinetes typus, and to describe their functional roles during fertilization. Oocytes fixed directly from the ovary, have a total diameter of 549 microm and are covered by a 10- microm-thick transparent envelope. Electron microscope sections (dehydrated) of the egg envelope revealed an electron-dense external coat of 0.4 microm covered by filamentous processes, and a granular inner coat of 4- microm thickness. Oocytes placed for 5 min in seawater had a significantly larger diameter (573 microm), because of the increase in the thickness of the egg coats (32 microm) and the formation of a 16- microm perivitelline space. The diameter of the egg proper was reduced by the same extent as the size of the perivitelline space. All these changes were associated to the loss of the egg fertilizability. SDS-PAGE of isolated and solubilized egg coats with 20% beta-mercaptoethanol or 25 mM dithiothreitol (DTT) showed bands between 58 and 105 kDa and between 44 and 103 kDa, respectively. During normal fertilization, the sperm undergoes a drastic change in shape after first contact with the egg. We observed a similar change when solubilized egg coats were placed with vas deferens sperms. When the solubilized egg coat proteins were ultrafiltrated with a membrane of 10,000 MWCO (pore size) and then assayed for their effect on fertilization, an inhibitory effect of 30%, 41%, and 59% was found when oocytes were incubated with spermatozoa pre-treated with 30, 60, and 120 microg/ml of proteins solubilized with beta-mercaptoethanol. A similar inhibitory effect was found when egg coat proteins solubilized with 25 mM DTT were used. Our results suggest that, in the shrimp, the egg coats play an active role during the morphological changes of the sperm during their passage through them.

Trypsin-like enzymes during fertilization in the shrimp Rhynchocinetes typus

The spermatozoon of Rhynchocinetes typus is atypical because it is nonmotile and lacks head and tail. The body has a rigid spike. Neither an acrosome-like structure nor changes during gamete interaction which could be interpreted as an acrosome reaction have been observed in this species. Nevertheless, the spermatozoon exerts a lytic effect on the extracellular envelope of the egg, and in this way it penetrates through egg-coats, forming a channel. In this research we found that crude spermatozoa extracts analyzed by gelatin SDS-PAGE developed one band of protease activity that was completely inhibited by SBTI (soybean trypsin inhibitor) and pAB (p-aminobenzamidine). In sperm extracts an enzymatic activity was determined, using BAEE (N-benzoil-L-arginine ethyl ester), but not ATEE, as substrate. This activity was inhibited by SBTI and pAB. We observed that in vitro fertilization was inhibited by spermatozoon incubation with the trypsin inhibitors SBTI, PMSF (phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride), and pAB. Additionally, we observed that when whole isolated egg-coats were incubated with sperm extract and then analyzed by SDS--PAGE, one band of the egg-coats disappeared. These results have been interpreted as sperm trypsinlike enzyme participation in R. typus sperm passage through the egg-coats.

Localization of microfilaments and a tubulin-like protein in crustacean (Rhynchocinetes typus) spermatozoon

Sperm from the decapod crustacean Rhynchocinetes typus undergo dramatic shape changes as they pass from the vas deferens to seawater and interact with the oocyte envelopes. Using FITC-phalloidin and antitubulin antibodies, we were able to localize microfilaments and a tubulin-like protein in R. typus spermatozoon. Microfilaments and the tubulin-like protein were associated with the sperm rays and spines, but were absent at the spike and at its base. Folded and unfolded spermatozoa display similar fluorescence patterns. SDS-PAGE of whole spermatozoa and electrotransfer to nitrocellulose confirmed the presence of actin and two proteins at 97 kd and 120 kd that bind to tubulin antibodies (tubulin-like proteins). These results demonstrate the presence of actin, but not tubulin, and localize microfilaments in these sperm. It is proposed that this cytoskeletal component is active in sperm during crustacean fertilization.