Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology of Reproduction.  Basic and Clinical Aspects

Editors: PM Motta, SA Nottola, G Macchiarelli and S Correr, 2001, 345 pages, Editrice IL SEDICESIMO, Firenze, Italy.

 This book is the 8th volume published under the aegis of the Malpigihi Academy for the study of microscopic anatomy.  The articles included in this volume have been selected among those presented in the XV Congress of the International Federation of Association of Anatomists (IFAA) and the 4th International Malpigihi Symposium held in Rome (September, 1999).

This volume is organized in 3 sections, including 35 articles discussing some relevant and updated aspects of reproductive events as studied with the most recent methods and integrated technology.  The first section dealt with fertilization and development in 16 researches. Microinsemination techniques using spermatogenic cells was found to give a way to treat infertility and provide valuable information on gametogenesis, including spermatogenesis, meiosis and genomic imprinting. Three dimensional fine morphology by high resolution scanning electron microscopy combined with light and transmission electron microscopy revealed a number of new cellular detailed findings in early human embryos.  Zona pellcida glycoprotein mZP3, the sperm receptor, was proved to be unique to mammalian eggs although related glycoproteins were found in vitelline embryos of variety of eggs from fish to birds.  The surface micro morphology of the zona pellucida, investigated via scanning electron microscopy, related the zona pellucida changes occurring in oocytes to their actual maturation status rather than being artifacts.  Signal transduction pathways in activation of the mammalian eggs were studied.  The role and the fate of the various sperm components during Rhesus in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection were described and compared to human fertlization.  This section also included a presentation which reviewed the ultrastructure of gamete centrosomes with attempts to define their respective roles in assisted reproduction. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection technique did not seem to significantly alter the morphology of the human fertilized egg and its vestments as described by scanning and transmission electron microscopy.  Regulatory systems in early mammalian development with special reference to polarity and totipotency were discussed.  A review which analyzed the recent morphological and biochemical evidence that apoptosis plays a role in early mammalian embryo development was included. The ultrastructure and the protein composition of the developing nucleolus in preimplantation cattle and swine embryos were evaluated. Gene expression studies in human primordial germ cells and preimplantation embryos were reported. Evaluation of the total amount of antibody in and experimental antigen modulation in the blastocyst for mimicking dormant and invasive micrometastases was elaborated. The two antioxidative enzymes thioredoxin and glutaredoxin were reported to be associated with tissue differentiation in embryos and fetuses.  A correlation between the development of the mesonephric structures and the development of the gonadal primordium before sexual differentiation was reported. The last article in this section presented an interesting study of the value of the use of microscopic magnetic resonance in human prenatal development. 

The second section dealt thoroughly with the gametes and the gonads in 13 articles.  Ultrastructural morphodynamics of human Sertoli cells during testicular differentiation was studied. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)and its receptors GFR alpha 1 and GFR alpha 2 in human testes  were described during fetal development using immunohistochemical and western blot techniques, where a critical role for GDNF was elaborated during differetiaion of testicular structures.  An ultrastructural study of the sperm glycocalyx of Pezotettx giornai by both conventional transmission electron microscopy and quick freeze, deep-etching was included.  The possible role of the accumulation of transcripts in mature human sperm nucleus was discussed.  Parathion, an agropesticide, was found to induce mouse germ cell apoptosis; however, this effect was reported to be reversible with moderate doses of the chemical after acute intoxication.  A scanning electron microscopic study of the microvasculature of corpus epididymis of adult domestic dogs was discussed.  In an immunohistochemical study, the expression of erythropoietin (Epo) in human female reproductive organs was documented, implying that the signal transduction of Epo contributes to the cyclic changes in these organs.  The role of estrogen as a modulator of gene expression involved in the control of reproduction was discussed.  This section also included a transmission electron microscopic study which reported on the role played by estrogen and oxytocin in the control of the number of germ cells in the neonatal mouse ovary.  An interesting indirect immunofluorescence study revealed that oocyte developmental competence after in vitro maturation depends on the persistence of cumulus-oocyte communication, which is linked to the intracellular concentration of cAMP. The section also included a study which investigated the follicular profiles by thyroid hormone treatment in the presence or absence of equine chorionic gonadotrophin and the induction of ovulation following hCG treatment in mutant rats.  The histological characterization of the atretic process of follicles via in situ localization of apoptosis in pig ovary was included.  Detailed morphology of human ovarian surface epithelium focusing on its metaplastic and neoplastic capability was studied. 

The third section included 6 articles which concentrated on events related to the genital tract and pregnancy.  The histopathology of the Fallopian tube in relation to sperm binding, release and completion of capacitation was reviewed.  In an experimental approach, it was suggested that actual adhesive forces exist between living trophoblast and uterine epithelial cells with a special modification of the atomic force microscope.  The vascular architecture of the donkey uterus during estrous was demonstrated.  A fine architecture of various ramifications forming the chorionic villi tree in the human normal placenta at term was investigated using a tissue maceration method followed by scanning electron microscopic observation.  The existence and formation of single syncytial units during the first trimester of pregnancy was confirmed.  Finally, putative microtubule-organizing centers in whole mounts and frozen sections of full term human placenta, amniochorion and first trimester chorionic villus tissue were identified via indirect immunofluorescence confocal laser scanning microscopy.  These sites may perform a crucial role in the morphogenesis of human extra embryonic membranes, and may also establish polarity in the amniotic epithelium.

This book is an effort to create a bridge among the structural, physiological, and clinical aspects of development and reproduction with special reference to humans.  It emphasizes the integration of various basic and clinical parameters along with updated technology.   

Amal M Abbas, MD

Assistant Professor of Histology Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
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