Phenotype Image Detail

Image

Caption

Ultrastructural abnormalities of sperm from Pla2g3^tm1Murm/ Pla2g3^tm1Murm mice as assessed by transmission EM. (A) Transverse sections through the midpiece to principal piece of spermatozoa from wild-type (+/+) mice showed the axoneme and axonemal appendages (thin arrows indicate the outer dynein arm [ODA], inner dynein arm [IDA], and radial spoke [RS]) with a 9 plus 2 configuration, whereas those from Pla2g3^tm1Murm/Pla2g3^tm1Murm (-/-) mice often lacked the central pair of microtubules, possessed disorganized outer dense fibers, and showed loss of part or half of the axonemal complex (open arrows). Scale bar: 500 nm (top panel); 125 nm (bottom panel). (B) Some sperm from mutant mice had double axonemes in the principal piece and even in the midpiece of the flagellum (filled arrows), in which outer dense fibers were mislocated outside the mitochondrial lines (circle). Scale bar: 500 nm. (C) In contrast to the well-organized structure of the acrosome in wild-type sperm, mutant sperm had a swollen acrosome (arrowheads) as well as vacuoles beneath the acrosome cap (white arrow). Scale bar: 1 um (left and center image); 500 nm (right image). (D) Longitudinal (top panels) and transverse (bottom panels) sections of the midpiece of wild-type and mutant sperm showed swollen mitochondria in the latter (dashed arrows). Scale bar: 1 um (top panel); 500 nm (bottom panel). (E) Transverse sections of sperm cells in the testis and the caput and cauda epididymidis of wild-type and mutant mice showed that sperm cells with abnormal 9 plus 2 axoneme configuration (red asterisks) were rare in the testis and caput, whereas they were markedly increased in the cauda of the null mice. Scale bar: 1 um. (F) The percentage of spermatozoa with abnormal axonemes in E was quantified (mean +/- SD; n = 3).

Copyright

This image is from Sato H, J Clin Invest 2010 May 3;120(5):1400-14 and is displayed with the permission of the American Society for Clinical Investigation who owns the Copyright. J:161462

Associated Alleles

Symbol	Name
Pla2g3^tm1Murm	phospholipase A2, group III; targeted mutation 1, Makoto Murakami

Associated Genotypes

Allelic Composition	Genetic Background
Pla2g3^tm1Murm/Pla2g3^tm1Murm	involves: 129S/SvEv * C57BL/6J