title: The genetics and cell biology of spermatogenesis in the nematode C. elegans.
abstract: Creation of mutants that affect spermatogenesis is very challenging in most experimental systems, especially mammals. The main reason this is true is because "absence of successful mating" is a negative result that can occur for a wide variety of trivial, irrelevant reasons. The C. elegans hermaphroditic mode of reproduction has unusual features that facilitate analysis of spermatogenesis. Normally, hermaphrodites are virtually 100% self-fertile and spermatogenesis defective mutants are self-sterile. A candidate spermatogenesis defective mutant will produce cross-progeny after mating to a wild type male, showing that the presence of sperm is both necessary and sufficient to restore fertility to the sterile hermaphrodite. This has allowed selection of a large number of spermatogenesis defective mutants. In this article, I will review spermatogenesis, how mutants are made and what has been learned about the identified genes and their roles during development and fertilization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. bioslh@biology.emory.edu
authors.forename: Steven W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: L'Hernault
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism