DIFFERENCE IN THE RATIO OF DOMINANT-LETHAL MUTATIONS TO HERITABLE TRANSLOCATIONS PRODUCED IN MOUSE SPERMATIDS AND FULLY MATURE SPERM AFTER TREATMENT WITH TRIETHYLENEMELAMINE (TEM)

W. M. Generoso ¹, K. T. Cain ¹, C. V. Cornett ¹, E. W. Russell ¹, C. S. Hellwig ¹, and C. Y. Horton ¹

¹ Biology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830

The relative induction of dominant-lethal mutations and heritable translocations in triethylenemelamine-treated male postmeiotic germ cells of mice was determined depending on the stage treated. Males were mated either 11.5–14.5 days after treatment (middle spermatids) or less than 2.5 hours after treatment (fully mature sperm). Results clearly showed that, even though similar levels of dominant-lethal mutations were induced in fully mature sperm and in middle spermatids, the frequency of heritable translocations induced in mature sperm was markedly lower than that induced in middle spermatids. This observation was used, together with earlier ones, to suggest a mechanism by which dominant-lethal mutations and heritable translocations are produced following chemical treatment of male postmeiotic germ cels.

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