[Phenotypic variation of spermatogenesis and a search for associations with genetic polymorphism in 13 inbred mouse...

Adult mice of the BALB/cLac, PT, CBA/Lac, DD/He, A/He, SWR, NZB, GR, DBA/2J, CC57Br, C57 B1/6J, A/Sn, and YT inbred strains were tested for the count, motility, and morphology of sperms from the caudal region of the epididymis. The protein-coding regions of the cytochrome P450 aromatase (CYP19a1), estrogen receptor 2 (ESR2), steroidogenic factor 1 (Nr5a1), and sex-determining (Sry) gene were sequenced. A substantial genetic heterogeneity for the genes was observed, as well as a phenotypic variation in spermatogenetic parameters, but the variation was rather discordant. The specifics of the interstrain variation in spermatogenetic parameters indicated that a physiological compensatory mechanism increases certain spermatogenetic parameters when other ones are low to maintain male fertility at a level sufficient for successful reproduction. For instance, a high sperm production compensated for a low sperm motility in DD/He males. In the issue of the protein-coding regions sequencing of the analyzed genes, 16 various mutations were observed. The decreases in proportion of motile sperms and in their velocity were attributed to mutations (I63T and W133L) of the Sry gene in the DD/He strain.