Cryotolerance of Sperm from Transgenic Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Cryopreservation is an important tool routinely used in preserving sperm for assisted reproductive technologies and for genetic preservation of unique animal models. Here we investigated the viability of fresh and frozen sperm from rhesus macaques on the basis of motility, membrane integrity, and acrosome integrity. Sperm motility was determined by visual evaluation; membrane and acrosome integrity were assessed simultaneously through triple staining with Hoechst 33342, propidium iodide, and fluorescein isothiocyanate-peanut agglutinin. We compared thawed semen that had been cryopreserved by using 2 different media with fresh semen from wildtype (WT) macaques; fresh semen from a model of Huntington disease (HD) with fresh WT semen; and fresh HD with cryopreserved-thawed HD semen. Our new freezing media (TEST EQ) preserved the acrosome better, with less net damage, than did traditional TEST (egg yolk extender containing TES and Tris) media. In addition, the percentage of membrane-damaged cells was similar in fresh HD semen (38.6%±2.9%) and WT semen (35.5%±1.9%). Membrane and acrosomal damage were not different between HD and WT sperm after cryopreservation and subsequent thawing. Furthermore, cryopreservation had similar negative effects on the motility of HD and WT sperm. These data illustrate that semen from a rhesus macaque model of HD is similarly cryotoleratant to that from WT animals.