Structural features of a specialized region of the epididymis of the Siberian hamster (Phodopus sungorus).
Light and electron microscopic observations of zone six of the Siberian hamster (Phodopus sungorus) epididymis reveal that two distinct tubule populations exist in this region. The population of smaller tubules apparently arises as diverticula of the larger ducts but, though contiguous, the contents of each remain different and separate. While the larger tubules are laden with sperm and seminal fluid, the smaller ones area filled with degenerating cells and cellular debris. Cytologically, the features of the two tubule types are similar. Both display a prominent Golgi apparatus, substantial amounts of rough endoplasmic reticulum, an extensive population of various lysosomal forms and scattered crystalline inclusions.