Mouse Spermatozoa with Higher Fertilization Rates Have Thinner Nuclei

Overview

Journal PeerJ

Specialties Biology
Environmental Health
General Medicine

Date 2017 Oct 18

PMID 29038763

Citations 8

Authors

Daisuke Mashiko

Masahito Ikawa

Koichi Fujimoto

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Although spermatozoa with normal morphology are assumed to have uniform fertilization ability, recent data show that even normal spermatozoa have considerable variation in their head shape which is associated with differences in fertilization ability. Appropriate quantitative indicators for good sperm morphology, however, remain unidentified.

Methods: Therefore, in an effort to identify such an indicator, we compared the nuclear contour of normal mouse spermatozoa by quantitative multivariate analysis using elliptic Fourier descriptors combined with principal component analysis. The spermatozoa were obtained from different strains and collection sites which have been shown to be associated with different fertilization abilities.

Results: We found that the head was 5.7% thinner in spermatozoa from the B6D2F1 (BDF1) strain, known to have a higher fertilization rate, than in those from the C57BL/6N (B6N) strain, which has a lower fertilization rate. Moreover, zona-penetrated spermatozoa in the perivitelline space consistently had 5.4% thinner heads than those isolated from the epididymis before ejaculation. The aspect ratio, which represents the sperm head thinness, uniquely distinguished these sperm populations, confirming its validity as a morphological indicator.

Discussion: Because aspect ratio has also been shown to characterize human spermatozoa, this unique morphometric indicator might be applicable to compare normal spermatozoa among multiple patients, which will greatly facilitate and enhance current reproductive technologies.

Citing Articles

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Wang H, Iida-Norita R, Mashiko D, Pham A, Miyata H, Ikawa M PLoS Genet. 2024; 20(6):e1011337.

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Bull spermatozoa selected by thermotaxis exhibit high DNA integrity, specific head morphometry, and improve ICSI outcome.

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Search for morphological indicators that predict implantation by principal component analysis using images of blastocyst.

Mashiko D, Tokoro M, Kojima M, Fukunaga N, Asada Y, Yamagata K PeerJ. 2022; 10:e13441.

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