Seminiferous tubule. Coloured Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) of a sectioned seminiferous tubule, the site of sperm production in the human testis.


Seminiferous tubule. Coloured Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) of a sectioned seminiferous tubule, the site of sperm production in the human testis. The tubule contains a swirl of forming sperm cells (red). Each testis is packed with seminiferous tubules. The tubules are lined by a stratified epithelium containing two types of cell: Sertoli cells, which nourish developing sperm, and spermatogenic cells, which produce the sperm. The sperm are released into the cavity of the tubule to migrate to the epididymis, where they mature. Around the seminiferous tubule are Leydig cells (green) which produce testosterone. Magnification: x200 at 5x7cm size.


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Photo credit: © CNRI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: anatomy, body, human, male, production, reproduction, reproductive, seminiferous, site, sperm, spermatogenesis, spermiogenesis, system, testis, tubule