Pituitary--gonadal axis in sterile male mice heterozygous for autosomal reciprocal translocation T145H

Abstract

Male mice heterozygous for the reciprocal autosomal translocation T(7,19)145H (T145H/+) were completely sterile, Spermatogenesis was arrested at some stage during the first meiotic division. The pituitary-gonadal axes of these mice were compared with those of normal male littermates (+/+) at 63 days of age. Testis and epididymis weights were significantly lower than in normal males, but no deficiencies in circulating FSH were observed despite drastic loss of germinal cells, suggesting that spermatids were not involved in the feed-back control of FSH (T145H/+, 2155 +/- 64 ng/ml; +/+, 1830 +/- 94 ng/ml; mean +/) s.e.m.). Androgen activity in T145H/+ males seemed normal judging by weights of androgen target tissues (prostate, seminal vesicles), serum LH and testosterone levels (T145H/+ : LH = 132 +/- 19 ng/ml, testosterone = 5.5 +/- 2.8 ng/ml; +/+ : LH = 127 +/- 22 ng/ml, testosterone = 7.4 +/- 2.7 ng/ml). These results indicate that the translocation in the heterozygous state does not modify control of FSH secretion or the LH-interstitial cell axis.