homeostasis/metabolism
• abnormal accumulations of a glycolipid species (mixture of monohexosylceramides) is observed in testes and brains of male and female homozygotes
• small glycolipid-containing vesicles gradually accumulate within Sertoli cells in 6- and 14-month old males, but are not found in age-matched controls
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• beta-glucosidase 2 (Gba2) activity is reduced by ~50-85% in testes and liver
• bile acid glucosyltransferase activity is undetectable in tissues
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reproductive system
• increased numbers of pyknotic germ cells are observed in seminiferous tubules
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• sperm counts are significantly lower, with percentage of mature, motile sperm in caudal epididymis similarly reduced
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• homozygous males have sperm with distended, round heads lacking an obvious acrosome, disordered mitochondria and dense pyknotic nuclei
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• small glycolipid-containing vesicles gradually accumulate within Sertoli cells in 6- and 14-month old males, but are not found in age-matched controls
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• tubules have distended lumens
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small testis
(
J:114991
)
• testes are significantly smaller than wild-type
|
• average litter size is 2.8 pups compared to ~7.5-8 in heterozygous crosses and wild-type crosses
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• when homozygous males are bred to wild-type females, only small litters (~3 pups) are produced compared to normal litters from homozygous female-wild-type male crosses
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• sperm are deficient in zona pellucida binding
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endocrine/exocrine glands
• small glycolipid-containing vesicles gradually accumulate within Sertoli cells in 6- and 14-month old males, but are not found in age-matched controls
|
• tubules have distended lumens
|
small testis
(
J:114991
)
• testes are significantly smaller than wild-type
|
cellular
• increased numbers of pyknotic germ cells are observed in seminiferous tubules
|
• sperm counts are significantly lower, with percentage of mature, motile sperm in caudal epididymis similarly reduced
|
• homozygous males have sperm with distended, round heads lacking an obvious acrosome, disordered mitochondria and dense pyknotic nuclei
|
• number of apoptotic cells in testes is significantly increased compared to wild-type
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