Ward S, Miwa J
Genetics. 1978 Feb;88(2):285-303. doi: 10.1093/genetics/88.2.285.
The isolation and characterization of three Caenorhabditis elegans temperature-sensitive mutants that are defective at fertilization are described. All three are alleles of the gene fer-1. At the restrictive temperature of 25 degrees, mutant hermaphrodites make sperm and oocytes in normal numbers. No oocytes are fertilized, although they pass through the spermatheca and uterus normally. The oocytes can be fertilized by sperm transferred by wild-type males, indicating that the mutant defect is in the sperm. The temperature-sensitive period for the mutants coincides with spermatogenesis. Sperm made by mutants at 25 degrees cannot be distinguished from wild-type sperm by light microscopy. The sperm do contact oocytes in mutant hermaphrodites, but do not fertilize. Mutant sperm appear to be nonmotile. Mutant males are also steril when grown at 25 degrees. They trnasfer normal numbers of sperm to hermaphrodites at mating, but these sperm fail to migrate to the spermatheca and are infertile. The phenotype of these mutants is consistent with a primary defect in sperm motility, but the cause of this defect is not known.
本文描述了三种秀丽隐杆线虫温度敏感突变体的分离和特性，这些突变体在受精过程中存在缺陷。这三个突变体均为fer-1基因的等位基因。在25℃的限制温度下，突变体雌雄同体产生的精子和卵母细胞数量正常。尽管卵母细胞正常通过受精囊和子宫，但没有一个被受精。这些卵母细胞可以被野生型雄性转移的精子受精，这表明突变体的缺陷在于精子。突变体的温度敏感期与精子发生期一致。在25℃下由突变体产生的精子在光学显微镜下与野生型精子无法区分。突变体雌雄同体中的精子确实会与卵母细胞接触，但不会使其受精。突变体精子似乎没有运动能力。突变体雄性在25℃下生长时也不育。它们在交配时向雌雄同体转移正常数量的精子，但这些精子无法迁移到受精囊，因而不育。这些突变体的表型与精子运动的原发性缺陷一致，但这种缺陷的原因尚不清楚。
