Motility characteristics of sperm from the uterus and oviducts of female mice after mating to congenic males differing in sperm transport and fertility

Abstract

Motile sperm were videotaped after removal from the uterus and isthmus of the oviducts of female mice 1 h after mating with congenic males carrying none, one, or two t complexes. Males carrying one t complex (tw32/+) are fertile, and sperm carrying the t complex had an advantage in fertilization; males carrying two complexes (tw32/t0) are sterile. For each sperm, 2 sec of movement of the head-midpiece junction were traced from the videotaped. For each tracing, five motility parameters were used: curvilinear velocity (Vc), and index of the sperm''s mean swimming speed; coefficient of variation of move length (CMVL), an index of speed constancy; progressiveness ratio (PR), an index of all deviation of the sperm''s movement from a straight line; linear index (LI), an index of all deviation of the sperm''s movement from a straight line; linear index (LI), an index of the straightness of the sperm''s trajectory; and curvilinear progressiveness ratio (PRc), an index of the degree of lateral oscillation. There were no consistent differences in any motility parameter between uterine sperm from tw32/+ and congenic +/+ males. Uterine sperm from sterile tw32/t0 males were extremely slow and showed very little progressive movement, which could explain their lack of transport to the oviduct. For all fertile males, isthmic oviductal sperm differed significantly from uterine sperm in every motility parameter except Vc: isthmic sperm were less consistent in swimming speed, and less progressive with less straight trajectories and more lateral movement. One or more of these motility characteristics may be related to hyperactivation. A large proportion of isthmic sperm from tw32/+ males had nonlinear trajectories (LI < .50); these nonlinear sperm were faster than nonlinear isthmic sperm from congenic +/+ males. These motility characteristics of isthmic sperm from tw32/+ males may be related to hyperactivation, or to their previously observed abnormal transport within the oviduct.