The fine morphology of the regional structure of ejaculated spermatozoa which was observed by light microscope, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope was the basis for the classification of various morphological characteristics. A quantitative analysis of the frequencies of these morphological characteristics in the fertile and suspected infertile populations was conducted. A discriminant analysis of these data revealed that 6 morphological characteristics out of 30 examined by light microscope, 9 out of 42 examined by scanning electron microscope and 8 out of 35 examined by transmission electron microscope were discriminatory. In addition, the discriminant analysis enabled obtaining a morphological score for each semen sample which was calculated from the weights of the different discriminatory characteristics for the 3 microscopic techniques. It was possible to separate the fertile from the infertile population using these morphological scores. The fertile man obtained positive scores while the suspected infertile men obtained negative scores. The practical use of the different morphological scores as diagnostic tools for male infertility clinics is discussed.

Extracts of bull and ram sperm tails were prepared by DTT and CTAB treatment. Such extracts contained deoxyribonuclease 11, degrading only native double-stranded DNA at acid pH (3.9-4.5). At least three distinguishable DNase I1 activities were found in these extracts as judged by their sensitivity to thiol compounds and various anions and cations. The deoxyribonuclease I1 activity is apparently located in or in association with the mitochondria.

Circular DNA was isolated from mitochondrial fractions of ram spermatozoa by SDS treatment followed by convex sucrose gradient centrifugation. The DNA had a contour length of 5.0 micron. Its buoyant density was 1.6983 g cm-3, which was smaller than two nuclear DNA components with buoyant densities of 1.6999 and 1.7156 g cm-3, found in ram spermatozoa. The Tm of the mitochondrial DNA was 69.7 degrees C. The mole fraction G+C calculated from the buoyant density and melting temperature was 39.1% and 38.6%, respectively.

Sperm mtDNA exhibits unique physicochemical properties compared with mtDNA from somatic tissues in the ram. 'The buoyant density of sperm mtDNPl wa.s 1.6983 gicm? while the brain, heart and liver mtDNAs was about 1.7005 gicms. The T m of the liver and sperm mtDNA was 71.0OC and 69.5OC, respectively. The G + C content of sperm mtDNA was 3.0 moles Oio lower than the liver mtDNA. The contour length of the circular sperm mtDNA was 5.01 ,!/in compared with the liver mtDNA with contour length of 5.33 ,pm. K e y words: mtDNA -sperm mtDNA -somatic intDNA -ram mtDNA.

Teratozoospermic semen specimens were separated, with the aid of a specially designed separation chamber, into an upper progressive motile sperm fraction and a lower fraction containing a high percentage of sperm cells of poor or no motility, and immature germinal cells. Analysis of the TEM morphograms of progressive motile cell fractions and original teratozoospermic semen revealed that 15 various malformations were improved significantly in the motile cell population due to the cell separation technique.