Genetic integrity of black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegeli) sperm following cryopreservation

Summary Although semen cryopreservation has been applied successfully in many fish species, extensive variation in post-thaw semen quality exists between species and individuals. AFLP (amplified restriction fragment length polymorphism) is a powerful method for detecting DNA polymorphisms at the individual, population, and species levels. The method has been successfully applied to boars (Sus domestica, Suidae, Artiodactyla, Mammalia) to detect and evaluate differences in DNA sequences that correspond with semen integretiy after employing various freezing techniques. Freezing and thawing of semen has also an effect of selecting for freezing-resistant (or intact) and eliminating non-viable or defective sperm. Only the fully intact and functional sperm, despite potential compromise by adverse freezing and osmotic stresses, retain fertility after thawing. The objective of this study was to use AFLP to assess any genetic changes associated with the effect of employed cryo-methodology on the genetic integrity of sperm of the black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegeli) under different cryopreservation treatments. The cryopreservation protocols had no significant effect on sperm motility or survival rate of fertilized ova regardless of using fresh (% motile sperm 89.6 ± 3.0; % embryonic survival rate 54.4 ± 2.9) and frozen-thawed semen (% motile sperm 80.2 ± 2.0; % embryonic survival rate 51.8 ± 2.0). The post-thaw sperm motility and survival rates were not significantly different among the sperm samples of the five black sea bream males examined. In the present study, the remaining black sea bream sperm that survive the cryopreservation limit the power of AFLP to trace the genetic markers which correlate with the differences in the sensitivity of sperm to cryo-injury. It is also possible that point mutations outside the AFLP priming sites may not have been detected. More thorough investigations are needed to determine whether such DNA fingerprints would be found in fish species.