Mid pieceMid pieceThe midpiece of sperm is the most proximal part of the sperm tail. Outside the axoneme, the central microtubule skeleton of the sperm flagellum and force generator, are the outer dense fibers (ODFs), which are believed to stabilize the axoneme and protect the sperm tail against shear forces. The mid piece also contains a large number of mitochondria arranged in a helical pattern in the mitochondrial sheath. These provide energy needed for sperm motility through oxidative phosphorylation. The mid piece of sperm comprises the first part of the sperm tail, reaching from the connecting piece to the annulus. It contains mitochondria in a sheet that surrounds the axoneme and are visualized by the mitochondrial marker CS in the subcellular resource. Read more about the mid piece as a substructure of sperm. CLTCCLTC is known to be involved in acrosome formation during spermatogenesis, but in spermatozoa, it seems to localize to the midpiece of the flagellum. |