Theriogenology
Volume 72, Issue 9 , Pages 1251-1261, December 2009

Sperm quality evaluation in Solea senegalensis during the reproductive season at cellular level

  • J. Beirão

      Affiliations

    • Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of León, León, Spain
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +34 987291488; fax: +34 987291917.
    • ,
  • F. Soares

      Affiliations

    • Center for Marine Sciences-CCMAR, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
    • ,
  • M.P. Herráez

      Affiliations

    • Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of León, León, Spain
    • ,
  • M.T. Dinis

      Affiliations

    • Center for Marine Sciences-CCMAR, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
    • ,
  • E. Cabrita

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia- ICMAN, Spanish National Research Council, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain

Received 11 January 2009; received in revised form 13 July 2009; accepted 29 July 2009. published online 25 September 2009.

Abstract 

Sperm quality seems to be one of the reasons for the reproduction constraints faced by Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) aquaculturists. Previous studies in this species indicated that the sperm quality of individuals kept in culture varies throughout the year and that different sperm subpopulations can be identified in ejaculates according to the motility pattern of spermatozoa. Aiming to better understand factors affecting sole sperm quality in captivity, sperm of 11 males was assessed during the reproductive season using different parameters: motility characteristics using CASA analysis; cell plasma membrane resistance to seawater hyperosmolarity; DNA fragmentation with single-cell gel electrophoresis; and early apoptosis, labeled with Annexin-V FITC. Computer-assisted sperm analyses motility data were treated using multivariate analysis to identify the presence of different spermatozoa subpopulations according to their motility pattern. Four distinct sperm subpopulations were obtained: Subpop1, which includes fast linear spermatozoa; Subpop2, made up of fast nonlinear spermatozoa; Subpop3, which includes slow linear spermatozoa; and Subpop4, which contains slow nonlinear spermatozoa. The sperm subpopulation structure varied with time after activation and with male. Low cell resistance to the seawater hyperosmotic conditions was noticed. The Annexin-V assay allowed the identification of an apoptotic population ranging from 6% to 20%. A high percentage of cells (64.1%) showed a DNA fragmentation level below 30%, but these values varied significantly between males. DNA fragmentation appears to be related to cell membrane resistance to hyperosmotic conditions faced by the cells when in contact with seawater. This condition seems to modulate the composition of the motile sperm population and performance after activation. This phenomenon could be related to the spermatozoa maturation process.

Keywords: Annexin-V, DNA fragmentation, Hoechst 33258, Senegalese sole, Sperm subpopulations

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PII: S0093-691X(09)00366-5

doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2009.07.021

Theriogenology
Volume 72, Issue 9 , Pages 1251-1261, December 2009

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