Heritable translocation test and dominant-lethal assay in male mice with methyl methanesulfonate

Abstract

A dominant-lethal test and a heritable translocation test were performed with methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) at 40 mg/kg by treating the sensitive periods of post-meiotic spermatogenesis i.e. spermatozoa and spermatids. In the dominant-lethal test 25 to 60% dominant-lethal mutations were obtained depending on the mating intervals. In the heritable translocation test 11% sterile and partially sterile F 1 males were observed in 250 offspring of the MMS group. All of the 14 partially sterile and 6 of the 14 sterile F 1 males were demonstrated to be translocation carriers. Fertility of the partial steriles was about 40% of normal fertility. The translocation frequencies in the primary spermatocytes of the partially sterile F 1 males varied between 2 and 99%. Transmission of partially sterility and translocations was confirmed in the F 2 generation. There were no partially sterile or sterile males among the 245 controls.