Mutagenesis alters sperm swimming velocity in Astyanax cave fish

Abstract

We investigated the hypothesis that intra ejaculate sperm competition screens against the transmission of deleterious alleles, including new mutants, from male parent to offspring. Recent investigations have established that sperm haploid genotypes can have major effects on sperm traits such as cellular robustness, longevity, and fertilization success. However, there is no evidence that new mutations can meaningfully affect sperm phenotypes. We tested this directly by comparing sperm from mutagenized and non-mutagenized control males in Astyanax fish. We used N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) to induce single base substitutions in spermatogonial stem cells. We looked at swimming velocity, an important factor contributing to fertilization success, and flagellar length. Variability in swimming velocity was significantly higher in sperm from mutagenized males than in control sperm, reflecting their increased allelic diversity. In contrast, flagellar length, which is fixed during diploid stages of spermatogenesis, was unaffected by ENU treatment. We briefly discuss the implications of intra-ejaculate screening for maintenance of anisogamy and for outcomes of assisted reproductive technology.