Severe spermatogenic defects: an alteration in the distribution of stages of spermatogenesis. Mutation slightly reduces the number of enlarged primary spermatocytes to approximately 10% the wild type level, resulting in a cluster of these cells close to the apical end of the testis.
The male sterile phenotype is probably due to alteration of the cis-acting transcription regulatory sequence at the Trf site and this effect becomes more severe when a portion of the transposon is removed.