Table 3.
General and Sperm Parameters of TTC29−/− L5 and L7 Mouse Lines Compared to Control Mice
| Mouse Lines | Body Weight (g) | Testis Weight (mg) | Apoptosis | Sperm Count (M) | Sperm Vitality (%) | Morphological Defects (%) | Axonemal Defects (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | 27.38 ± 0.95 | 111.3 ± 10.8 | 0.34 ± 0.15 | 18.41 ± 1.73 | 48.70 ± 3.89 | head: 7.88 ± 1.79 tail: 3.48 ± 0.59 |
– 2.2 ± 1.3 |
| KO L5 | 27.28 ± 0.96 | 93.1 ± 2.6 | 0.09 ± 0.02 | 19.33 ± 2.56 | 49.00 ± 2.63 | head: 6.96 ± 1.32 tail: 7.52 ± 0.87∗∗ |
– 21.6 ± 11.0∗∗∗ |
| KO L7 | 27.38 ± 1.12 | 113.3 ± 14.7 | 0.48 ± 0.17 | 16.89 ± 3.72 | 45.45 ± 2.75 | head: 7.13 ± 1.74 tail: 6.00 ± 0.96∗ |
– 13.0 ± 4.9∗∗ |
The mean age of the animals is 4 months. Wild-type (WT mice): n = 15, Ttc29−/− L5 and L7 mice: n = 10. Testis weight of each animal is pondered by mean body weight of its group; WT: n = 7, Ttc29−/− L5: n = 4, and Ttc29−/− L7: n = 5. Apoptosis rate is indicated as mean number of apoptotic cells/seminiferous tubule; WT: n = 5, Ttc29−/− L5: n = 5, and Ttc29−/− L7: n = 6. Sperm counts are indicated in millions (M) as mean number of sperm cells obtained from dissection of two cauda epididymes; WT: n = 15, Ttc29−/− L5 and L7: n = 10. The percentage of morphological defects of the sperm head and tail is obtained by analysis of at least 100 cells for each animal on Papanicolaou-stained smears; WT: n = 6, Ttc29−/− L5: n = 5, and Ttc29−/− L7: n = 4.The percentage of axonemal defects is obtained by TEM analysis of 20 to 50 axonemal cross-sections; WT: n = 4, Ttc29−/− L5: n = 4, and Ttc29−/− L7: n = 3. The percentage of sperm vitality was assessed by eosine-nigrosin staining and counting of at least 200 cells per animal; WT: n = 8, Ttc29−/− L5: n = 6, and Ttc29−/− L7: n = 7. Statistical analysis: values are indicated as mean ± SEM. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the three groups, except for the analysis of the morphological defects, which was performed with a chi-square test (2 df). p > 0.05 was considered statistically not significant. Significant p values are indicated as (∗): p value < 0.05, (∗∗): p value < 0.01, and (∗∗∗): p value < 0.001.