Re: Methods for sorting viable X and Y sperm

Howard Shapiro (hms@shapirolab.com)
Mon, 16 Jun 1997 21:57:34 -0400 (EDT)

>Is it possible to use FITC oligos to specific regions of the Y
>chromosome to accomplish this? I have sent the graduate student back to search
>out more on this possibility, but am wondering if anyone out there is already
>doing this or has found it to be impossible, or is using another even more
>elegant method?

I doubt that you could get the oligos to hybridize while retaining
viability. I keep hearing that there are X- and/or Y-specific surface
antigens, which would be ideal. Larry Johnson of the U. S. Department of
Agriculture probably knows more about sex selection by sperm sorting than
anybody else. Some references from a few years back are:

Cran DG, Johnson LA, Miller NG, Cochrane D, Polge C: Production of bovine
calves following separation of X- and Y-chromosome bearing sperm and in
vitro fertilisation. Vet Rec 132:40-1, 1993

Hendriksen PJ, Tieman M, Van der Lende T, Johnson LA: Binding of anti-H-Y
monoclonal antibodies to separated X and Y chromosome-bearing porcine and
bovine sperm. Mol Reprod Dev 35:189-96, 1993

-Howard