Stage-Dependent Enzymatic Activities in Spermatogenesis of Mice with the Standard Karyotype and of Chromosomal Variants with Impaired Fertility

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Abstract
The enzymatic activities of thiamine pyrophosphatase (TPPase), acid phosphatases (ACPase), alkaline phosphatases (APase) and steroid-3.beta.-ol dehydrogenase (.beta.-HSDH) in different germ cell and somatic cells in the testis of 3 cytogenetically determined states of fertility (i.e., normal, impaired fertility and sterility) were studied histochemically in the mouse. The TPPase, ACPase and ATPase activities showed a characteristic stage dependent pattern when the activities were related to the typical 12 stages of the seminiferous epithelium in the mouse. The enzymatic activity patterns were compared for the normal spermatogenic process and the impaired and sterile conditions. Even impaired and sterile conditions the enzymatic activity patterns retain their characteristic stage dependence. The pattern of .beta.-HSDH and ACPase was not altered in the impaired and sterile conditions. TPPase and APase patterns were modified in impaired and sterile mice. The kinetics of the enzyme activities evidently can serve as a useful marker for characterizing pathological spermatogenic process.