CAN INSECT SPERMATIDS FERTILIZE EGGS AND/OR PARTICIPATE IN DEVELOPMENT? - APPROACHES USING ICSI TECHNIQUE -

摘要

In vitro fertilization has been and is being developed as a remedy for infertility in humans, as a tool to produce genetically valuable domestic animals and to preserve endangered species. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in which a sperm is directly micro-injected into an egg, is now considered as the most promising technique to achieve the above objectives (Aitken & Irvine, 1996; Ng et al., 1996). In some mammalian species including humans, ICSI has been extended to employ spermatids, instead of mature sperm, and normal offsprings have been obtained (Sofikitis et al., 1994; Ogura & Yanagimachi, 1995; Tesarik et al., 1995; Goto et al, 1996).