Abstract
Summary
Quantitative data are presented to show incidence of spermatogonia and spermatocytes in normal mouse testicles at stated intervals in a 24-hour period, and compared with data for testicles of mice killed at hourly intervals the 24 hours post-irradiation. Testicles were exposed to a single dose of 1440 r for 18 min. 40 sec.
The data indicate that within the 24 hours a pattern of response can be demonstrated which is limited to the spermatogonia. Active mitosis is inhibited for at least the first 24 hours and resting spermatogonia decrease in incidence after 20 hours. Reticulated spermatogonial cells, resting and meiotic spermatocytes do not decrease during the interval studied. Supplementary effects of irradiation are noted by a tabulation of the frequency of degenerating cells, confirming the belief that mitotic spermatogonia and resting spermatogonia are the most sensitive germinal cells. Degeneration of the reticulated spermatogonial cells does not result in a lowered incidence of these cells at any time in the 24-hour period.
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