Figure 3 | Scientific Reports

Figure 3

From: Abnormal male reproduction and embryonic development induced by downregulation of a phospholipid fatty acid-introducing enzyme Lpgat1 in zebrafish

Figure 3

lpgat1 heterozygotes produce some sperm with less motility and abnormal morphology. (A) Percentage of sperm with motility from lpgat1+/+ and lpgat1+/−. Semen was collected from anesthetized zebrafish by abdominal compression. Sperm motility was measured by Computer Assisted Semen Analysis, CASA. Each point represents the results of different individual zebrafish (n = 12 for both lpgat1+/+ and lpgat1+/−, The data were combined from mutant 1 (n = 7) and 2 (n = 5)). Error bars are S.D. Statistically significant differences are marked with asterisks. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01. Unpaired, two-tailed t-test was used. (B) Schematic diagram of zebrafish sperm. Zebrafish sperm consists of a head, a mid-piece, and a tail. Unlike sperm from mammals, sperm from zebrafish have no acrosome. The head contains the nucleus, and the midpiece is enriched in mitochondria. (C) SEM analyses of sperm from lpgat1+/+ and lpgat1+/− zebrafish. Representative images from mutant 1 were shown. Note that sperm from lpgat1+/− showed abnormal morphology with loose mid-piece indicated by red arrows. Scale bar, 1 µm. (D) Percentage of sperm with abnormal morphology in SEM analyses (C). Sperm from lpgat1+/+; n = 52, from lpgat1+/− (mutant 1); n = 105.

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