Intermitochondrial cement (nuage) in a spermatocytic seminoma: comparison with classical seminoma and normal testis

Abstract

The nuage, an ultrastructural marker of normal human germ cells (spermatogonia type A and primary spermatocytes), may be found associated with mitochondria (intermitochondrial cement) and/or free in the cytoplasm. Eight specimens from germ cell-related tumours were reviewed to assess whether the nuage could have diagnostic significance in testicular neoplasms. The nuage of neoplastic cells from seven classical seminomas and one spermatocytic seminoma was compared with that from two normal testes. The ultrastructural study demonstrated that only spermatocytic seminoma cells contained both types of nuage and that significantly fewer spermatocytic seminoma cells (28%) contained intermitochondrial cement compared with control spermatogonia type A (81.1%) and primary spermatocytes (47.6%). The data indicate that (1) the detection of the nuage confirms that the phenotype of spermatocytic seminoma is more differentiated than that of classical seminoma; (2) the intermitochondrial cement is an additional example of how a distinctive organelle of a normal cell is preserved in its neoplastic counterpart and (3) if the intermitochondrial cement were found in other cases of spermatocytic seminoma, this organelle of the normal germ cell lineage could be considered as a new ultrastructural marker of the neoplasm.

Spermatocytic seminoma at the National Institute of Oncology in Morocco

“…Morroni and al have described the ultrastructural features of classical seminoma in comparison with SS. This study indicate that detection of intermitochondrial cement in spermatocytic seminoma confirms a more differentiated phenotype compared with classical seminoma [22]. …”

Mammalian phospholipase D physiological and pathological roles

“…Unexpectedly, male mice lacking MitoPLD are infertile, exhibiting meiotic arrest during spermatogenesis (Huang et al, 2011, Watanabe et al, 2011). Spermatogenesis is known to require assembly of piRNA, a specialized RNAi-generating protein complex on the nuage , an electron-dense “intermitochondrial cement” that adheres to mitochondria at this developmental stage (Morroni et al, 2008, Russell and Frank, 1978, Chuma et al, 2009). Loss of components of the piRNA machinery similarly blocks spermatogenesis during meiosis (O’Donnell et al, 2008, Soper et al, 2008).…”

Premeiotic transformation of germ plasm-related structures during the sea urchin spermatogenesis

“…In A. crassispina, the combined nuage results from the insertion of the compact electron-dense nuage fragments into the surface of the compact electronlucent nuage. This combined nuage acts as the centre for binding the mitochondria and serves as the intermitochondrial cement (see Morroni et al, 2008, Chuma et al, 2009. It should be noted that some mitochondria are surrounded both types of nuage during two previous stages of transformation (Fig.…”

“…In various taxa of invertebrate and vertebrate animals, the spermatogonia, the cells that initiate spermatogenesis in the testes, are unique in that they have germ plasm-related structures (GPRS), such as germinal bodies (germinal granules), nuage and mitochondrial clusters (Kerr & Dixon, 1973; Satoh, 1974; Eddy, 1975; Flores & Burns, 1993; Reunov & Rice, 1993; Werner et al ., 1994; Reunov & Klepal, 2004; Reunov, 2006; Morroni et al ., 2008; Reunov et al ., 2009). Surprisingly, the role of GPRS is still unclear due to insufficient knowledge of both the ultrastructural and molecular mechanisms of their functioning.…”