III.—Genetics of Gametes. III. Strain Differences in Spermatozoa from Eight Inbred Strains of Mice

Abstract

SynopsisIn animals, the expression of genetic factors has been studied mainly after fertilization, in the embryo or the adult. The study of genetic effects on the gametes themselves has been called the genetics of gametes. As evidence of such genetic effects on gametes, numerous differences have been found in the characteristics of spermatozoa from eight inbred strains of mice. The spermatozoan characteristics studied are mainly dimensional, but also relate to the physiological maturation of spermatozoa and possibly to semen fertility. The dimensional characteristics of spermatozoa are insulated, to an unusual degree, from the effects of environmental and other factors. The genetics of gametes can be regarded as the study of the genetics of the carriers of genes from one generation to the next; this has relevance to general genetics, and also to experiments for controlling the transmission of hereditary factors from parent to offspring.