A new article, published online today (November 11, 2015) in an open-access article in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles (JEV), reports that studies employing cryo-electron microsopy and tomography show what the authors describe as “an unprecedented diversity of extracellular structures in a single body fluid.” The extracellular environment of human ejaculate was revealed to be quite diverse and multi-faceted, with five major sub-categories of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and six sub-categories of extracellular membrane compartments, including lamellar bodies. Furthermore, three morphological features, including electron density, double-membrane bilayers, and coated surface, were described in all subcategories. The authors identified several novel morphological EV subcategories and suggested that clues to their cellular origin might be found in their morphology. This structural inventory, they added, will be important for developing future experimental approaches, and to interpret previously published data to understand the role of EVs in human male fertility. The new JEV article is titled “Diversity of Extracellular Vesicles in Human Ejaculates Revealed by Cryo-Electron Microscopy,” and was authored by Johanna L. Höög, Ph.D., and Jan Lötvall (photo), M.D., Ph.D., both of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. Senior author Dr. Lotvall is a Swedish clinical allergist and scientist working on translational research primarily in the field of asthma. He is the Director of the Krefting Research Centre at the University of Gothenburg, and Professor of Allergology at this same institution. Dr.Login Or Register To Read Full Story