Publikationsdatenbank

Analysis of Sertoli cell efficiency allows the differentiation between two fundamentally different forms of feline teratospermia (2013)

Art

Zeitschriftenartikel / wissenschaftlicher Beitrag

Autoren

Jewgenow, K

Pukazhenthi, B S

Schoen, Jennifer (WE 3)

Quelle

Theriogenology : an international journal of animal reproduction

Bandzählung: 79

Heftzählung: 2

Seiten: 261 – 6

ISSN: 0093-691x

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2012.08.014

Pubmed: 23174773

Kontakt

Institut für Veterinär-Biochemie

Oertzenweg 19 b
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 62225
biochemie@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

Teratospermia is a common phenomenon within felid species and has been attributed to reduction in genetic diversity. Testes from teratospermic domestic cats show enhanced spermatogenesis accompanied by remarkably reduced germ cell apoptosis. In the present study we investigated whether free-range teratospermic tom cats exhibit a similar testicular phenotype as proven permanently teratospermic males. Randomly collected teratospermic cats were compared with normal (normospermic; >60% morphologically normal sperm per ejaculate) and a well-characterized population of permanently teratospermic domestic cats, with respect to their spermatogenic potential. Histomorphologic assessment of testes from randomly collected teratospermic cats revealed no differences compared with normospermic donors. These two groups, however, were both different from permanently teratospermic cats, which exhibit fewer Sertoli cells and increased numbers of round spermatids per tubule cross-section resulting in a remarkably increased Sertoli cell efficiency (ratio of round spermatids to Sertoli cells). In conclusion, we can distinguish at least two fundamentally different forms of feline teratospermia. One subtype, found in most of the randomly collected tom cats, but not associated with altered quantitative spermatogenic parameters. Another subtype, found in all permanently teratospermic felids, is manifested by an impairment of Sertoli cell efficiency. We suggest that spermatogenic output should be analyzed before using random source domestic cats to study the phenomenon of teratospermia.