Immunogold distribution of actin during spermiogenesis in the normal rabbit and after experimental cryptorchidism

Immunogold procedures for actin detection were used in combination with experimental cryptorchidism in the rabbit as a model to shed more light on the function of subacrosomal actin during spermiogenesis. In the normal testis, actin was localized in the perinuclear substance (PNS) from round spermatid onward but it was not detected in late spermatids. Actin labeling in each type of spermatid was essentially unmodified after 24 hr of cryptorchidism. However, among relevant immediate and delayed effects, discontinuous acrosomes overlying a continuous PNS with normal actin labeling were noted. Nuclear invaginations were seen in combination with subacrosomal dilatations; at this site actin labeling was found only in the PNS closely apposed to the nuclear envelope. In subacrosomal areas lacking PNS, actin labeling also was lacking. These results suggest that the subacrosomal actin (F-actin) is a component of the PNS that is tightly bound to the nuclear envelope rather than the overlying inner acrosomal membrane. Therefore, a function for the subacrosomal actin either in anchoring the acrosome to the nucleus or in capping the inner acrosomal membrane appears unlikely. The data rather suggest a capping function for the nuclear membrane during spermiogenesis.