Histologia testicular e caracterização dos estádios do ciclo do epitélio seminífero de Hemidactylus mabouia (Moreau de Jonnès, 1818) (Reptilia, Squamata, Sauria, Gekkonidae)

• Ano de defesa: 2009
• Autor(a) principal: Silveira, Juliana de Assis
• Orientador(a): Neves, Clóvis Andrade
• Banca de defesa: Rocha, Juliana Silva , Sartori, Sirlene Souza Rodrigues , Drummond, Cristina Delarete
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal de Viçosa
• Programa de Pós-Graduação: Mestrado em Biologia Celular e Estrutural
• Departamento: Análises quantitativas e moleculares do Genoma; Biologia das células e dos tecidos
• País: BR
• Palavras-chave em Português: Reprodução; Morfologia; Testículo; Espermatogênese; Hemidactylus mabouia
• Palavras-chave em Inglês: Reproduction; Morphology; Testicle; Spermatogenesis; Hemidactylus mabouia
• Área do conhecimento CNPq: CNPQ::CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS::BIOLOGIA GERAL
• Link de acesso: http://locus.ufv.br/handle/123456789/2318

Studies on the testicular histology of reptiles are scarce. More specifically, there are no reports on the morphology of the reproductive cycle and spermatogenic process of the reptilian species Hemidactylus mabouia. Hence, this study aimed to characterize morphologically the testis of H. mabouia, and contribute for the understanding of the reproductive biology of this species. The spermatozoon of H. mabouia presented morphology similar to the majority of the species of reptiles studied so far. However, its intermediate piece was the longest described. The testis of H. mabouia was predominantly occupied by seminiferous tubules, which were separated by very little interstitial tissue. The seminiferous epithelium presented cell types that were morphologically and structurally similar to those described for other reptiles and for the majority of mammalian species. The presence of germ cells from all maturation phases in the seminiferous epithelium and numerous spermatozoa in the tubular lumen indicated that H. mabouia has continuous spermatogenic activity throughout the year. The Leydig cells were rare in the interstitial tissue of H. mabouia, contrasting with most of species described. The present study establishes for the first time stages for the spermatogenic cycle of a reptile. Seven stages were identified according to the tubular morphology of H. mabouia. These stages had very heterogeneous and marked assembly of germ cells. Additionally, we observed a helicoidal arrangement of the stages along the seminiferous epithelium, similarly to birds and some primates, but differing substantially from the segmented pattern observed in most mammalian species. The reproductive parameters described in this study propose H. mabouia as a promising model for comparative studies among reptiles regarding reproductive morphology. Furthermore, the paucity of data on the reproductive biology of this species justifies additional studies on its reproductive cycle and spermatogenic process.