Theriogenology
Volume 74, Issue 1 , Pages 111-117, 1 July 2010

Changes in motility, ATP content, morphology and fertilisation capacity during the movement phase of tetraploid Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) sperm

  • M. Suquet

      Affiliations

    • Ifremer, Station Expérimentale d’Argenton, PFOM Department, 29840 Argenton, France
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +33 2 98 89 57 55; fax: +33 2 98 89 57 77.
    • ,
  • C. Labbe

      Affiliations

    • INRA, UR 1037 SCRIBE, Campus de Beaulieu, 35000 Rennes, France
    • ,
  • R. Brizard

      Affiliations

    • Ifremer, AGSAE Department, 17390 La Tremblade, France
    • ,
  • A. Donval

      Affiliations

    • IUEM, Technopole Brest-Iroise, 29280 Plouzané, France
    • ,
  • J.R. Le Coz

      Affiliations

    • Ifremer, PFOM Department, 29280 Plouzané, France
    • ,
  • C. Quere

      Affiliations

    • Ifremer, PFOM Department, 29280 Plouzané, France
    • ,
  • P. Haffray

      Affiliations

    • SYSAAF, Scribe, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes, France

Received 3 November 2009; received in revised form 20 January 2010; accepted 31 January 2010. published online 02 March 2010.

Abstract 

Changes in sperm features during the movement phase are especially interesting to study in external fertilization species whose sperm duration movement is long because this implies a significant adaptation of moving cells to the external medium. This study describes the changes in tetraploid Pacific oyster sperm characteristics in relation to time post activation.

Sperm individually collected on three tetraploid males were activated in seawater. Their features were analysed over a 24h period and compared to a sperm pool collected on three diploid males as a reference. The percentage of motile spermatozoa, the intracellular ATP content, and the fine structure of spermatozoa were studied in relation to time post activation. Furthermore, the fertilisation capacity of sperm individually collected on five diploid males was assessed after 1 and 24h post activation.

A forward progressive movement was maintained for at least a 20h duration. Compared to diploid males, the percentage of motile spermatozoa was lower in tetraploid males. The intracellular ATP concentration was higher in spermatozoa from tetraploid males than in spermatozoa from diploid males. A decrease in ATP content was observed in the first 6h post activation and severe alterations were observed in sperm morphology after 24h. Then, a lower fertilisation capacity of sperm from diploid males was observed at the end of the movement phase.

The cessation of Pacific oyster sperm motility was unlikely caused by ATP consumption as ATP concentration was still high at the end of sperm movement but rather caused by drastic changes in sperm morphology. Compared to sperm collected on diploid males, the lower quality of sperm from tetraploid males was emphasized by a shorter movement duration and deeper morphological alterations at the end of the movement phase.

Keywords: Crassostrea gigas, Sperm, Tetraploid, Motility, ATP, Ultrastructure

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PII: S0093-691X(10)00074-9

doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2010.01.021

Theriogenology
Volume 74, Issue 1 , Pages 111-117, 1 July 2010

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