Figure 2.

Electroporation partially rescues spermatogenetic processes in young Stra8-Rnf20^−/− mice

(A) Diagram of in vivo electroporation procedures for mouse testes. (B) Histological analysis of the seminiferous tubules of the Rnf20^F/F + Con, Rnf20^F/F + RNF20, Stra8-Rnf20^−/− + Con, and Stra8-Rnf20^−/− + RNF20 mice after electroporation. Scale bar, 20 μm. (C) Histological analysis of the caudal epididymis of the Rnf20^F/F + Con, Rnf20^F/F + RNF20, Stra8-Rnf20^−/− + Con, and Stra8-Rnf20^−/− + RNF20 mice after electroporation. Scale bar, 50 μm. (D) Percentage of empty tubes. n = 5 biological replicates. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01, and ∗∗∗p < 0.001. Statistical analysis was performed with two-tailed unpaired Student’s t test. (E) Testes of Stra8-Rnf20^−/− + RNF20 mice were larger than those of the Stra8-Rnf20^−/− + Con mice. (F) Sperm concentration of the Rnf20^F/F + Con, Rnf20^F/F + RNF20, and Stra8-Rnf20^−/− + RNF20 mice after electroporation. n = 5 biological replicates. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. ∗p < 0.05. Statistical analysis was performed with two-tailed unpaired Student’s t test. (G) Morphological analysis of the spermatozoa in the Rnf20^F/F + Con, Rnf20^F/F + RNF20, and Stra8-Rnf20^−/− + RNF20 mice after electroporation. Acrosomes were stained with PNA (green), and nuclei were stained with DAPI (blue). Scale bar, 5 μm.