Analysis Tools
reproductive system
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• at 3 weeks of age, infertile (but not fertile) F3 transgenic males show a significant decrease in the number of primary spermatocytes relative to control males
• by 6 weeks of age, most seminiferous tubules in the infertile group contain Sertoli cells and a few spermatogonia but are completely devoid of developing spermatids and spermatozoa
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azoospermia
(
J:79698
)
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• at 6 weeks of age, the lumen of cauda epididymis from infertile F3 transgenic males is virtually devoid of spermatozoa
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• at 6 weeks of age, many seminiferous tubules from the infertile group contain numerous spermatocytes undergoing apoptotic cell death, as revealed by TUNEL staining
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• at 3 weeks of age, infertile (but not fertile) F3 transgenic males show a significant decrease in seminiferous tubule diameter relative to control males
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• at 6 weeks of age, most of the seminiferous tubules in the infertile group appear atrophic with progressive degeneration of the seminiferous epithelium and dilation of lumen
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• at 6 weeks of age, infertile F3 transgenic males exhibit variable degrees of Leydig cell hyperplasia
• a slight increase in the number of Leydig cells is also observed in testes from the fertile group
• however, neither activin subunits nor follistatin levels are changed on a per cell basis
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small testis
(
J:79698
)
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• adult F3 transgenic males display small testes relative to wild-type control littermates
• by 6 weeks of age, even fertile transgenic males show a 50% reduction in testis size relative to control males
• however, no significant differences in mean testis size are observed in transgenic males of the F1, F2, and F3 generation prior to 6 weeks of age
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• in the F2 generation, 2 of 12 adult transgenic males display a significant reduction in testis size relative to wild-type control littermates (100 0.01 mg vs 229.6 11.23 mg, respectively)
• in the F3 generation, all adult transgenic males (both fertile and infertile) show a significantly reduced testis size relative to wild-type control littermates (fertile group: 145.03 22.7 mg; infertile group: 81.2 19.7 mg)
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• in contrast, transgenic males from the fertile group display normal progression of spermatogenesis, with no apparent changes in testis histology except for a slight increase in the number of Leydig cells
• at 3 weeks of age, infertile F3 transgenic males exhibit a germ cell maturation arrest beyond the pachytene spermatocyte stage
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• in the F3 generation, 5 of 11 transgenic males are completely sterile ("infertile group"), while the remaining 6 are fertile and sire a normal number of pups per litter ("fertile group")
• however, the fertility of transgenic males is unaffected in the F1 and F2 generation
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endocrine/exocrine glands
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• at 3 weeks of age, infertile (but not fertile) F3 transgenic males show a significant decrease in seminiferous tubule diameter relative to control males
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• at 6 weeks of age, most of the seminiferous tubules in the infertile group appear atrophic with progressive degeneration of the seminiferous epithelium and dilation of lumen
|
|
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• at 6 weeks of age, infertile F3 transgenic males exhibit variable degrees of Leydig cell hyperplasia
• a slight increase in the number of Leydig cells is also observed in testes from the fertile group
• however, neither activin subunits nor follistatin levels are changed on a per cell basis
|
small testis
(
J:79698
)
|
|
• adult F3 transgenic males display small testes relative to wild-type control littermates
• by 6 weeks of age, even fertile transgenic males show a 50% reduction in testis size relative to control males
• however, no significant differences in mean testis size are observed in transgenic males of the F1, F2, and F3 generation prior to 6 weeks of age
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• in the F2 generation, 2 of 12 adult transgenic males display a significant reduction in testis size relative to wild-type control littermates (100 0.01 mg vs 229.6 11.23 mg, respectively)
• in the F3 generation, all adult transgenic males (both fertile and infertile) show a significantly reduced testis size relative to wild-type control littermates (fertile group: 145.03 22.7 mg; infertile group: 81.2 19.7 mg)
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homeostasis/metabolism
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• at 6 weeks of age, both infertile and fertile groups of transgenic males show normal serum FSH levels relative to age-matched control littermates
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• at 6 weeks of age, serum testosterone levels are significantly increased in both infertile and fertile groups of transgenic males (3.31 0.42 ng/ml and 6.41 1.91 ng/ml, respectively) relative to age-matched controls (1.39 0.76 ng/ml)
• the increase in testosterone levels is higher in the fertile group (where spermatogenesis is normal) as compared to the infertile group (where spermatogenesis is arrested and massive Leydig cell hyperplasia is observed)
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cellular
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• at 3 weeks of age, infertile (but not fertile) F3 transgenic males show a significant decrease in the number of primary spermatocytes relative to control males
• by 6 weeks of age, most seminiferous tubules in the infertile group contain Sertoli cells and a few spermatogonia but are completely devoid of developing spermatids and spermatozoa
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azoospermia
(
J:79698
)
|
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• at 6 weeks of age, the lumen of cauda epididymis from infertile F3 transgenic males is virtually devoid of spermatozoa
|
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• at 6 weeks of age, many seminiferous tubules from the infertile group contain numerous spermatocytes undergoing apoptotic cell death, as revealed by TUNEL staining
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