DNA damage in round spermatids of mice with a targeted disruption of the Pp1cgamma gene and in testicular biopsies of patients with non-obstructive azoospermia

Non-obstructive azoospermia accounts for a considerable proportion of male factor infertility. Current therapies for treatment of this kind of infertility include procedures such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), round spermatid injection (ROSI), round spermatid nucleus injection (ROSNI) and elongated spermatid injection (ELSI). All involve injection of haploid germ cells retrieved from testicular biopsies into recipient oocytes. We have investigated a mouse model of azoospermia for quality of haploid germ cell genomes, based on 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)/TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) labelling. The mouse model, a targeted mutation in the protein phosphatase 1cg gene, results in severe depletion of haploid germ cells from the round spermatid stage on. Mice homozygous for the mutation are completely infertile, and produce only the occasional spermatozoon. Spermatozoa and round spermatids retrieved from either the epididymides or the testes of mutant mice displayed very high rates of DNA fragmentation. In contrast, similar cells retrieved from heterozygous or wild-type littermates displayed low levels of DNA fragmentation. In some cases, the high rates of DNA fragmentation in mutant cells could be lowered by inclusion of antioxidants in the retrieval media. High rates of DNA fragmentation were also observed in round spermatids retrieved from testicular biospies of human patients with non-obstructive azoospermia. These results suggest that one of the features of the pathology associated with azoospermia is fragmented DNA in haploid germ cells. This raises questions about the suitability of using these cells for fertility treatment.