{{Short description|Structure found between the acrosomal membrane and the nuclear membrane}} [[Spermatozoon|Spermatozoa]] develop in the [[seminiferous tubules]] of the testes. During their development, the [[Spermatogonium|spermatogonia]] proceed through [[meiosis]] to become spermatozoa. Many changes occur during this process: the DNA in nuclei becomes condensed; the [[acrosome]] develops as a structure close to the nucleus. The acrosome is derived from the [[Golgi apparatus]] and contains hydrolytic enzymes important for fusion of the spermatozoon with an [[Ovum|egg cell]]. During spermiogenesis, the nucleus condenses and changes shape. Abnormal shape change is a feature of sperm in [[Infertility|male infertility]]. The '''acroplaxome''' is a structure found between the acrosomal membrane and the [[Nuclear envelope|nuclear membrane]].<ref name=Kiersz03>{{cite journal |vauthors =Kierszenbaum AL, Rivkin E, Tres LL |title=Acroplaxome, an F-actin-keratin-containing plate, anchors the acrosome to the nucleus during shaping of the spermatid head |journal=Mol. Biol. Cell |volume=14 |issue=11 |pages=4628–40 |date=November 2003 |pmid=14551252 |pmc=266778 |doi=10.1091/mbc.E03-04-0226 }}</ref> The acroplaxome contains structural proteins including keratin 5, [[Actin|F-actin]]<ref name=Kiersz03/> and profilin IV.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors =Obermann H, Raabe I, Balvers M, Brunswig B, Schulze W, Kirchhoff C |title=Novel testis-expressed profilin IV associated with acrosome biogenesis and spermatid elongation |journal=Mol. Hum. Reprod. |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=53–64 |date=January 2005 |pmid=15591451 |doi=10.1093/molehr/gah132 |doi-access= }}</ref>
==References== *{{cite journal |vauthors =Kierszenbaum AL, Tres LL |title=The acrosome-acroplaxome-manchette complex and the shaping of the spermatid head |journal=Arch. Histol. Cytol. |volume=67 |issue=4 |pages=271–84 |date=November 2004 |pmid=15700535 |doi=10.1679/aohc.67.271|doi-access=free }} {{reflist}}
[[Category:Cell biology]]