Normal mice develop from oocytes injected with spermatozoa with grossly misshapen heads.
Because in the mouse some structurally abnormal spermatozoa can penetrate oocytes, we decided to determine whether mouse oocytes fertilized by spermatozoa with grossly misshapen heads are able to develop normally. We injected such spermatozoa from BALB/c mice individually into mature oocytes of hybrid mice B6D2F1. Eighty to ninety percent of the oocytes were activated and developed into blastocysts in vitro and, when transferred to foster mothers, some developed into apparently normal fertile adults. This finding indicates that a proportion of abnormal spermatozoa carry all the genome and organelles necessary for normal embryonic development and growth to fertile maturity.
Burruel
V R
VR
Department of Anatomy and Reproductive Biology, University of Hawaii School of Medicine, Honolulu 96822, USA.
Yanagimachi
R
R
Whitten
W K
WK
D000818:Animals; D003470:Culture Media; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004822:Epididymis / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013077:Sperm Head / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology
D003470:Culture Media; D007202:Indicators and Reagents