Constancy in human sperm DNA content.

The frequency distribution of DNA content of human sperm was measured in an automated flow microfluorometer. The flow method measures the DNA content by quantifying the amount of fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent Feulgen stained DNA of single sperm cells suspended in microdroplets. The variability in the mean value for the haploid amount of DNA in sperm from 15 randomly chosen donors was less than 1%. Statistical tests on the observed frequency distribution data indicated that each sperm population probably consists of two homogenous components present in almost equal proportions but differing in mean DNA content. The difference in their modal values for DNA is within the range of known values of DNA difference between the two sex chromosomes. Sperm of donors segregating balanced translocations, when compared to the random samples as a class, showed greater variability in the mean DNA content.