FIGURE 3.

Endogenous ROS drives sperm defects in alh‐6 mutant males. (a, b) Antioxidant NAC supplement restores sperm size (a) and sperm activation (b) in alh‐6 mutants. (c, d) NAC supplementation does not affect sperm size (c) or sperm activation (d) in WT males. (e, f) NAC supplementation does not affect sperm size (e) or sperm activation (f) in alh‐6;prdh‐1 males. (g, h) Paraquat treatment reduces size (g) and impairs activation (h) in WT males. (i‐j) RNAi of antioxidant enzymes in affecting sperm size (i) and activation (j) of WT males. Statistical comparisons of sperm size between WT and alh‐6 were done using unpaired t‐test. Statistical comparisons of sperm size between a strain on diet supplemented with NAC versus vehicle control‐treated diet were also done with unpaired t‐test. Comparisons of sperm activation between WT and alh‐6 or a strain on control diet versus supplemented diet were done using Fisher's exact test. Sperm size assays of WT on RNAi conditions were compared using ANOVA. Sperm activation assays of WT on RNAi conditions were compares using Fisher's exact test with adjusted p‐value cutoffs. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001; ****, p < 0.0001. All studies performed in minimum of three biological replicates; refer to Table S1 for n for each comparison