Long-term, quantitative analysis of gametogenesis in autotriploid rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.

A long-term, quantitative analysis was conducted on the gametogenesis of autotriploid rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to quantify their degree of germline development and reproductive potential. Triploid and diploid (control) trout siblings were raised separately under identical conditions and sampled randomly for histological analysis. Triploid males underwent testicular development and proliferation of germ cells by mitosis and meiosis, progressing through initial phases of spermatogenesis at a similar pace to diploid controls. The effects of triploidy on males were most evident during the final stages of spermatogenesis, when all diploid males contained free spermatozoa in the lumen of most tubules (average relative frequency, ARF = 68.5%), whereas triploid males contained predominantly spermatocytes (ARF = 36.3%) and morphologically abnormal spermatozoa (ARF = 31.8%). In contrast, the gonadal development of triploid females was affected during its early stages; the major patterns observed were the arrest of the oogonia within oogonial clusters (ARF = 30.4-71.1%), the appearance of small numbers (ARF = 1.5-6.0%) of previtellogenic and early vitellogenic follicles, and the proliferation of non-follicular elements (vascular lacunae, fibrosis and tubular adenomas). In agreement with previous reports on the ovarian development of chromosomally female (3A:ZZW) triploid chickens, male-differentiating areas (ARF = 0.2-12.2%) were observed in most triploid females examined, which by the end of the sampling period appeared as gonadal hermaphrodites. It is hypothesized that the lack of proper somatic-to-germ cell interactions prevents the segregation of the oocytes from the gonial clusters and may explain the early blockage observed during the gonadal morphogenesis of autotriploid female rainbow trout.