Laminated figures of the intercisternal regions of dictyosome-like structures from guinea-pig spermatocytes fixed with glutaraldehyde-tannic acid.

Dictyosome-like structures (DLS) of guinea pig spermatocytes, when prefixed in mixtures of glutaraldehyde and tannic acid, exhibited laminated figures with a repeating periodicity of about 4.5 nm in the spaces between DLS saccules or in association with the surfaces of the DLS saccules. These laminated figures were similar to those figures derived from saturated lipids in other tissues. Alternatively, spaces between saccules were collapsed leaving only thin, electron-dense material separating adjacent saccules. These changes were not observed when the DLS were prefixed in glutaraldehyde before exposure to tannic acid. The presence of laminated figures following fixation with tannic acid and osmium tetroxide suggests that saturated lipids are present in, or associated with, the intersaccular regions of the DLS. The distribution of laminated figures in other membrane structures was not affected by post fixation with tannic acid nor were laminated figures comparable to those of the DLS observed between cisternae of the Golgi apparatus. These results support previous conclusions that DLS are distinct from Golgi apparatus and are a unique component of the germ cell cytoplasm.