1. The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of preparing adult fowl testes for the production of exogenous germ-lines by eradication of recipient spermatogenesis using gamma-radiation. 2. A comparison between several radiation therapy treatments (based on 60Co isotope) of male testes was conducted using gamma-rays of 18, 22 and 26 Gy in a single dose or repeated doses of 5 x 8 Gy over a 15-d period. Sperm concentration and motility were determined after each treatment. 3. Altered spermatogenesis was observed after a single treatment dose of 18 Gy, while single doses of 26 Gy were followed by reduced sperm numbers (from 22 x 10(9) to 31 x 10(6) sperm/ml) within 60 to 100 d after treatment. After a single treatment of 26 Gy sperm motility was reduced by 50%. In contrast, a fractionated treatment (5 x 8 Gy) with gamma-rays halted spermatogenesis 39 d after the distribution of the first 8 Gy dose. 4. Observations of the seminiferous tubules by electron microscopy performed 12 months after this treatment confirmed that moderate doses of gamma-rays (8 Gy) distributed repeatedly (5 x) over a limited period (15 d) sterilise adult fowl testes but maintain morphologically normal somatic (Leydig and Sertoli) cell populations.

BIOPHARM Research Institute of Biopharmacy and Veterinary Drugs Jilove near Prague Prague Czech Republic

References provided by Crossref.org

Male fertility restored by transplanting primordial germ cells into testes: a new way towards efficient transgenesis in chicken