Cui K H
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Adelaide, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville, Australia.
Mol Hum Reprod. 1997 Jan;3(1):61-7. doi: 10.1093/molehr/3.1.61.
Normal human spermatozoa carry either the X or the Y chromosome. The differences between X and Y spermatozoa (X and Y haploid cells) may exist in two areas: the different chromosomes (i.e. different kinds and numbers of genes) and the different sperm structures and functions (i.e. different genetic expression). The aim of this study was to determine whether there are any size between X and Y spermatozoa and whether sperm size and shape varies between men. Identification of the Y (and X inferred) status of individual spermatozoa was carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), amplifying the putative testis-determining gene (SRY) together with a control gene (ZP3). PCR amplification of 871 out of 895 (97.3%) single motile spermatozoa showed that 444 (51.0%) were Y and 427 (49.0%) were X-bearing spermatozoa. Of 233 normally-shaped but immobilized spermatozoa, 217 (93.1%) were photographed and measured. Statistically, the length, perimeter and area of the sperm heads, and the length of the sperm necks and tails of X-bearing spermatozoa were significantly larger and longer than those of Y-bearing spermatozoa. Some peculiarities (or variations) in the X and Y sperm shape and size in individual donors were found. The pre-screening by micro-measurement of these specific haploid characteristics of individual spermatozoa in different donors, which may be closely related to their different genetic conditions (or diseases), may be important in human medicine and animal husbandry, especially in sperm prefertilization diagnosis.
正常人类精子携带X或Y染色体。X和Y精子（X和Y单倍体细胞）之间的差异可能存在于两个方面：不同的染色体（即不同种类和数量的基因）以及不同的精子结构和功能（即不同的基因表达）。本研究的目的是确定X和Y精子之间是否存在大小差异，以及男性之间精子的大小和形状是否有所不同。通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）对单个精子的Y（以及推断的X）状态进行鉴定，同时扩增假定的睾丸决定基因（SRY）和一个对照基因（ZP3）。895个单个活动精子中的871个（97.3%）经PCR扩增显示，444个（51.0%）为Y精子，427个（49.0%）为X精子。在233个形状正常但不活动的精子中，217个（93.1%）被拍照并测量。从统计学角度来看，X精子的头部长度、周长和面积，以及颈部和尾部长度均显著大于Y精子。在个体供体的X和Y精子形状及大小方面发现了一些特性（或差异）。通过微观测量不同供体单个精子的这些特定单倍体特征进行预筛选，这可能与其不同的遗传状况（或疾病）密切相关，在人类医学和畜牧学中可能具有重要意义，尤其是在精子优选诊断方面。
