INTERINDIVIDUAL VARIATIONS IN THE DISOMY FREQUENCIES OF HUMAN SPERMATOZOA AND THEIR CORRELATION WITH NUCLEAR MATURITY AS EVALUATED BY ANILINE BLUE STAINING

Objective: To evaluate the importance of interindividual variations in the disomy frequencies of human sperm and their possible correlation with the principal semen parameters. Design: Prospective randomized an alysis of sperm nuclei by fluorescence in situ hybridization and analy sis of semen parameters. Setting: University-based laboratory for repr oductive biology. Patient(s): Fifty-seven human ejaculates selected at random from a population of men undergoing semen analysis. Interventi on(s): Semen specimens were analyzed, and sperm samples were prepared for fluorescence in situ hybridization. Main Outcome Measure(s): Semen parameters, including necrozoospermia, global motility, sperm concent ration, multiple abnormalities index, and teratozoospermia were evalua ted, aniline blue staining was completed, and disomy frequencies for c hromosomes 8, 15, 18, X, and Y were determined using fluorescence in s itu hybridization. Result(s): Noticeable differences in disomy frequen cies between individuals were observed, and these frequencies were cor related with the degree of nuclear maturity. Conclusion(s): We hypothe size that the positive correlation can be explained by an abnormality of chromosomal segregation at the time of meiosis that would cause dis turbances during the transition of nucleoprotein or by one or several premeiotic abnormalities of chromatin that would perturb both the meio tic process and the construction of definitive proteins. (C)1998 by Am erican Society for Reproductive Medicine.