Structural changes in sperm from the fiddler crab, Uca tangeri (Crustacea, Brachyura), during the acrosome reaction

The acrosome reaction (AR) was induced in sperm from the brachyuran crustacean Uca tangeri either by mixing male and female gametes in filtered seawater or by treating the spermatozoa with the divalent cation ionophore A23187. This latter method provided a sufficient number of reacted spermatozoa to allow a detailed ultrastructural study of the AR. The process consists of two separate phases: a) initial release of the acrosomal vesicle contents, and b) further elongation of the acrosomal filament, which causes reversal of the rigid capsule limiting the acrosomal vesicle contents. The elongate acrosomal filament consists of an apical perforatorium and a basal columnar structure called here the proximal piece. The former derives from the perforatorium of the uninduced sperm stage with only small ultrastructural changes. The proximal piece forms from myelin-like membrane layers which are initially distributed all around the subacrosomal region and then accumulate in a column at the perforatorial base, thus promoting a sudden forward projection of the perforatorium. The AR in brachyurans is thought to be a passive mechanism that utilizes the negative pressure exerted on the nucleus--caused by emptying of the acrosomal vesicle--for an organized accumulation of membrane-rich material immediately behind the perforatorium, with the final result of the raising of a 3 microns long acrosomal filament.