Genetic Variability of Spermatozoon Production and Morphology in Laboratory Mice

Strain-specific differences in the production of spermatozoa and incidence of atypical spermatogenesis were studied in males of 7 inbred strains: BALB/cLac, PT, CBA/Lac, DD, A/He, C57Bl/6J, and YT. The results attest to significant genetic variability of the counts of epididymal spermatozoa (differing by more than 1.5-2 times) and incidence of abnormal spermatozoon heads (differing by more than 4 times). However, the strain-specific variability of both signs was not coordinated. The selected set of inbred mouse strains can become a prospective genetic model for studies of physiological and hereditary nature of spermatogenesis variability.