Quantifying the Total Germline in Male Caenorhabditis elegans
Elida Hernandez, Allen Ramsey, Emma Harms, Arnie Nathan Maravillas
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Diana Chu
Infertility is a growing concern with approximately half of the cases associated with male fertility issues, particularly, quality and function of sperm health as a direct factor. DNA is compacted around histones which give shape to chromosomes found in sperm. Histone variants can influence gene expression and lead to consequences in male fertility. This study develops a germline model consisting of comparing the average number of nuclei in each subregion of the germline, total nuclei, and volume measurements in the model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans. Data compares XC18, a sperm specific histone variant strain with an HTAS-1 mutation, against the wild-type strain, N2. Counting nuclei can be used to seek abnormalities in strains producing substandard progeny which has been observed in the XC18 strain. Our findings reveal a significant difference in the average of mature sperm with N2 in the lead. Conversely, there is not a significant difference in the average count of immature sperm between the two strains. Measuring the total germline constructs a framework that can be useful for future experiments when various mutations or treatments are present. Comparisons can provide insight to possible abnormalities in the number of functional sperm and the essential mechanisms required for successful fertility.