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Biomedical subjects

H T Imai

Publications and source records attributed to H T Imai.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

An increased level of sperm abnormalities in mice with a partial deletion of the Y chromosome.

Two congenic lines of mice, one with a partial deletion of the Y chromosome, differ in the percentage of spermatozoa with abnormal heads: B10.BR/SgSn males give 22.6% and B10.BR-Ydel/Ms males give 64.2% abnormal sperm. The F1s resulting from crosses of B10.BR/SgSn males with females of five common inbred strains exhibited significantly lower levels of abnormal sperm than the parental strains, as opposed to F1 hybrids sired by B10.BR-Ydel/Ms mutant males, where very high levels of abnormal spermatozoa were found. About 30% of abnormal spermatozoa, produced by males with deletion on the Y chromosome, were characterized by a flat acrosomal cap. This class of abnormality was never observed in non-mutant males, suggesting a mutant-specific defect. These results demonstrate the important role of the Y chromosome in spermatogenesis.

Animals

On the robertsonian polymorphism found in the Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus).

Karyotypes of 39 Japanese raccoon dogs (NPV) which appeared in the literature and of 7 previously unreported specimens were examined. Thirty four individuals showed the standard karyotype 2K = 26M + 10A + (M)X + (A)Y + Bs (2n = 38 + Bs), where Bs are supernumerary chromosomes. The remaining 11 individuals had 2K = 25M + 12A + XY + Bs (2n = 39 + Bs) and one was 2K = 23M + 16A + XY + Bs (2n = 41 + Bs). The G- and C-banding analyses of both somatic and germ cells revealed that these karyotypes with odd numbers are heterozygous (M/A) for a single Robertsonian rearrangement of chromosomes 2, 5, 6, 8, or 11, and one is M/A heterozygous for three autosomes: 5, 6, and 11.

Animals

Mutability of constitutive heterochromatin (C-bands) during eukaryotic chromosomal evolution and their cytological meaning.

A quantitative analysis of the alterations of constitutive heterochromatin in eukaryotic chromosomal evolution was attempted using the accumulated C-banding data available for mammals, amphibians, fish, ants, grasshoppers, and plants. It was found that these eukaryotes could be classified into two types by their C-banding patterns: 1) Type I included mammals, fish, and ants, and 2) Type II included amphibians, grasshoppers, and plants. C-bands were rather scarce in Type I eukaryote chromosomes and were found around the pericentromeric region when present at all, whereas the predominance of interstitial or terminal C-bands was found in Type II eukaryote chromosomes. The Type I and II C-banding patterns can best be interpreted by assuming that in the former group of eukaryotes the saltatory increase in constitutive heterochromatin occurs preferentially at the pericentromeric regions of telocentric chromosomes induced by centric fission, with C-bands being eliminated almost completely by centric fusion and/or pericentric inversion. On the other hand, C-bands appear in the Type II eukaryotes both interstitially and in the telomeric regions of chromosomes, and there may be no effective mechanism to eliminate these bands once they are integrated.

Animals