Search results for "Sperm"
showing 10 items of 658 documents
Assisted reproductive technology results: Why are live-birth percentages so low?
2014
The present bioessay aims to analyze the impact of parental age, cause of infertility, embryo chromosomal anomalies, assisted reproduction technology (ART) treatments, and environmental and occupational exposures to xenobiotics on ART results, particularly on live-birth percentages per transfer. Special attention is paid to analyzing the effects of these factors on the mitochondrial, genetic, and epigenetic traits of gametes and embryos to ascertain the molecular/cellular mechanisms responsible for the relatively low percentages of live births reported year after year in ART cycles. The bias of age distribution of women attending fertility clinics toward the late thirties and beyond and the…
Relatedness Does not Affect Competitive Behavior of Rival Males or Offspring Growth in Multiply Sired Litters of Bank Voles (Myodes glareolus)
2014
Kin selection operates through the fitness of an organism's relatives. In the polyandry context, kin selection may be observable on the one hand in competition between rival males and, on the other hand, in competition between litter mates. Sperm competition theory predicts that males should invest less into mating when competing for fertilizations against a close relative as compared to an unrelated male. We tested this hypothesis with bank voles (Myodes glareolus) by mating each focal male to two females: one of which had previously mated with a full sibling of the focal male and the other one with a male unrelated to the focal male. However, we found no effect of rival male relatedness o…
Scanning electron microscopy of heterochromatin in chromosome spreads of male germ cells in Schistocerca gregaria (Acrididae, Orthoptera) after tryps…
1996
Chromosome spreads, prepared from testes of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria, were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after varying periods of preincubation in trypsin. The emphasis of the study was on the appearance of heterochromatin. A trypsin pretreatment of 5 sec resulted in a smooth surface on the chromatin throughout and the heterochromatin was highly electron-emissive. The facultatively heterochromatic X chromosome was clearly visible in interphase spermatogonia and in pachytene and late prophase I spermatocytes. Chromomeres of autosomal bivalents could be recognized in pachytene cells. Centromeric heterochromatin segments were very prominent in autosomes of la…
Male Investments in High Quality Sperm Improve Fertilization Success, but May Have Negative Impact on Offspring Fitness in Whitefish.
2015
Many ejaculate traits show remarkable variation in relation to male social status. Males in disfavoured (subordinate) mating positions often invest heavily on sperm motility but may have less available resources on traits (e.g., secondary sexual ornaments) that improve the probability of gaining matings. Although higher investments in sperm motility can increase the relative fertilization success of subordinate males, it is unclear whether status-dependent differences in sperm traits could have any consequences for offspring fitness. We tested this possibility in whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus L.) by experimentally fertilizing the eggs of 24 females with the sperm of either highly-ornamente…
Strange vesicles with a homogeneous content in spermatocytes and spermatids of a click beetle, Adelocera murina (Elateridae). A fine structure study
1996
Abstract The restructuring of primary spermatocytes of Adelocera murina, a click beetle, is described using electron microscopy of ultrathin sections. Emphasis is on spherical or rod-shaped cytoplasmic inclusions, invested by a unit membrane. The content of the inclusions is slightly more electron-dense than that of the surrounding cytoplasm and homogeneously textured in most cases. The inclusions are missing in spermatogonia but are abundant in prophase I through anaphase I spermatocytes. Their number declines in telophase I. Very similar elements are associated with the distal ends of the outgrowing flagella in metaphase I through telophase I spermatocytes and form the so-called flagellar…
Genetische Untersuchungen zur Inkompatibilität im Culex-pipiens-Komplex
1970
In crosses between populations of the mosquito Culex pipiens of different geographical origin three crossing types have been found (1) crosses with normal offspring (2) crosses with reduced offspring and (3) crosses that show almost total incompatibility. In the case of incompatible crosses 99.9% of the developing embryos are lethal and only about 0.1% of the embryos hatch and develop into fertile diploid females. The origin of the exceptional diploid females has been investigated by means of the marker genes Kuf, r, w, var, y and ru. These females develop from a diploid oocyte or from a diploid nucleus that originated by fusion of the pronucleus and the last polar body. This has been concl…
Centrosome structure is very similar in eupyrene and apyrene spermatocytes ofEphestia kuehniella(Pyralidae, Lepidoptera, Insecta)
1997
Summary The higher Lepidoptera produce two types of sperm, eupyrene and apyrene. Eupyrene spermatozoa are fertile, while apyrene spermatozoa are anucleate and, therefore, sterile. Meiosis differs between the two developmental lines. One of the most obvious differences is the aberrant organization of the apyrene spindles. They possess fewer microtubules than eupyrene spindles and chromosome segregation is irregular. To determine whether micotubule nucleation is impaired in the aprene spindles, the present fine structure study concentrated on the centrosomes in both spermatocyte types. In addition, the presence of gamma-tubulin, a newly discovered tubulin isoform which is prevalent in centros…
Karyotype analysis of the sea urchinParacentrotus lividus (Echinodermata): evidence for a heteromorphic chromosome sex mechanism
1996
A consistent diploid number of 2n = 36 was determined for the sea urchinParacentrotus lividus from the Gulf of Palermo by analysis of mitotic chromosomes of both early developing embryos and male gonads. The haploid numbern = 18 was determined by counts of spermatocyte bivalents at diakinesis. A heteromorphic chromosome sex mechanism of the XY type is likely present in this species. This is indicated by the occurrence of a chromosomal pair, pair No. 2, which is heteromorphic in both morphology and size in about 50% of the mitotic figures (metaphases and anaphases) of einbryos. In addition, heteromorphism of the same pair of chromosomes occurred during spermatogonial metaphases in the five m…
Ag-NOR and C-banding analysis of spermatocyte chromosomes ofClavelina lepadiformis(Ascidiacea, Aplousobranchiata)
1991
SUMMARYChromosome number n = 9 and 2n = 18 for Clavelina lepadiformis (Ascidiacea, Aplousobranchiata) from the Gulf of Palermo have been determined. Silver staining analysis of testicular cells reveals that within-individual variability in NOR banding patterns is present. Using the C-banding procedure, a very impressive heterochromatin amount seems to characterize the chromosome set of this species.