Dominant Lethal Mutations after Irradiation of Mouse Spermatogonia with 600 R of X-rays

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Abstract
Male (101 ♀ × C3H ♂) F1 hybrid mice were irradiated with 600 R of x-rays when 10 to 12 weeks old. One group was exposed to whole-body irradiation, whereas a second group had their gonads irradiated while the trunk was shielded with lead. A third control group remained untreated. At different weeks after regaining their fertility, the irradiated males were mated to either virgin C3H inbred females or to (101 ♀ × C3H ♂) F1 hybrid females. The females were dissected 13·5 to 16·5 days after the appearance of a copulative plug. The numbers of corpora lutea, implants, dead and living embryos were determined. Significant differences concerning both the post- and pre-implantational losses as well as the live embryos were found only between the irradiated series and the controls. More pre-implantational losses occurred after the irradiation of males which were mated immediately after regaining their fertility than after the mating of older ones with a greater interval after irradiation. The fraction of pre-implantation losses was also higher after isolated gonad irradiation than after whole-body exposure and after mating irradiated males to C3H inbred females than to (101 ♀ × C3H ♂) F1 hybrid females. Some further differences of post- and pre-implantational losses did not reach significant levels.