The assessment of sperm DNA fragmentation in the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
S. D. Johnston A D , C. López-Fernández B , F. Arroyo B , J. L. Fernández C and J. Gosálvez B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld 4070, Australia.
B Unit of Genetics, Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 20849 Madrid, Spain.
C Genetics Unit, The Institute of Biomedical Research (INIBIC)–Complejo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña (CHUAC), As Xubias, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain.
D Corresponding author. Email: s.johnston1@uq.edu.au
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 29(3) 630-636 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD15300
Submitted: 22 May 2015 Accepted: 5 September 2015 Published: 14 October 2015
Abstract
Herein we report a method of assessing DNA fragmentation in the saltwater crocodile using the sperm chromatin dispersion test (SCDt) after including frozen–thawed spermatozoa in a microgel (Halomax; Halotech DNA, Madrid, Spain). Following controlled protein depletion, which included a reducing agent, sperm nuclei with fragmented DNA showed a homogeneous and larger halo of chromatin dispersion with a corresponding reduced nucleoid core compared with sperm with non-fragmented DNA. The presence of DNA damage was confirmed directly by incorporation of modified nucleotides using in situ nick translation (ISNT) and indirectly by studying the correlation of the SCDt with the results of DNA damage visualisation using a two-tailed comet assay (r = 0.90; P = 0.037). Results of the SCDt immediately following thawing and after 5 h incubation at 37°C in order to induce a range of DNA damage revealed individual crocodile differences in both the baseline level of DNA damage and DNA longevity.
Additional keywords: in situ nick translation, sperm chromatin dispersion assay, two-tailed comet assay.
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