The tubuli seminiferi recti (also known as the tubuli recti, tubulus rectus, or straight seminiferous tubules) are structures in the

testicle A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testoste ...

connecting the convoluted region of the

seminiferous tubules Seminiferous tubules are located within the testes, and are the specific location of meiosis, and the subsequent creation of male gametes, namely spermatozoa. Structure The epithelium of the tubule consists of a type of sustentacular cells known ...

to the

rete testis The rete testis ( ) is an anastomosing network of delicate tubules located in the hilum of the testicle (mediastinum testis) that carries sperm from the seminiferous tubules to the efferent ducts. It is the counterpart of the rete ovarii in fe ...

, although the tubuli recti have a different appearance distinguishing them from these two structures. They enter the fibrous tissue of the mediastinum, and pass upward and backward, forming, in their ascent, a close network of

anastomosing An anastomosis (, plural anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf veins, or streams. Such a connection may be normal ...

tubes which are merely channels in the fibrous stroma, lined by flattened epithelium, and having no proper walls; this constitutes the

. Only Sertoli cells line the terminal ends of the seminiferous tubules (tubuli recti).

References

Mammal male reproductive system {{Portal bar, Anatomy