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Effect of ejaculate, bull, and a double swim-up sperm processing method on sperm sex ratio

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2003

Ninoska Madrid-Bury
Affiliation:
Departamento de Reproducción Animal y Conservación de Recursos Zoogenéticos, INIA, Ctra de la Coruña Km 5.9, Madrid 28040, Spain
Raúl Fernández
Affiliation:
Departamento de Reproducción Animal y Conservación de Recursos Zoogenéticos, INIA, Ctra de la Coruña Km 5.9, Madrid 28040, Spain
Adela Jiménez
Affiliation:
Departamento de Reproducción Animal y Conservación de Recursos Zoogenéticos, INIA, Ctra de la Coruña Km 5.9, Madrid 28040, Spain
Sonia Pérez-Garnelo
Affiliation:
Departamento de Reproducción Animal y Conservación de Recursos Zoogenéticos, INIA, Ctra de la Coruña Km 5.9, Madrid 28040, Spain
Pedro Nuno Moreira
Affiliation:
Departamento de Reproducción Animal y Conservación de Recursos Zoogenéticos, INIA, Ctra de la Coruña Km 5.9, Madrid 28040, Spain
Belén Pintado
Affiliation:
Departamento de Reproducción Animal y Conservación de Recursos Zoogenéticos, INIA, Ctra de la Coruña Km 5.9, Madrid 28040, Spain
Julio de la Fuente
Affiliation:
Departamento de Reproducción Animal y Conservación de Recursos Zoogenéticos, INIA, Ctra de la Coruña Km 5.9, Madrid 28040, Spain
Alfonso Gutiérrez-Adán
Affiliation:
Departamento de Reproducción Animal y Conservación de Recursos Zoogenéticos, INIA, Ctra de la Coruña Km 5.9, Madrid 28040, Spain

Abstract

Offspring gender preselection has applications of considerable economic, health and ecological interest. In this study we analysed modifications of the percentages of spermatozoa bearing Y and X chromosomes when semen samples are submitted to a double swim-up technique as a possible method for producing embryos of known sex with in vitro fertilisation protocols. As an initial experiment to provide accurate evaluation of the method we determined the possible incidence of natural deviations in the primary sex ratio between bulls or ejaculates, analysing the percentage of Y-chromosome DNA bearing spermatozoa (%Y-CDBS) with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of X- and Y-specific fragments. Ejaculates were tested by direct semiquantitative PCR sexing and by sexing blastocysts produced in vitro with these spermatozoa. Bulls and ejaculates did not have any effect on the %Y-CDBS or on the sex ratio of embryos produced in vitro using these ejaculates. However, our double swim-up sperm preparation method produced differences in %Y-CDBS in some of the sperm fractions, suggesting that there are intrinsic differences in capacitation of X- and Y-bearing spermatozoa that might be used to produce embryos of the desired sex with in vitro fertilisation.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2003 Cambridge University Press

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