Deletion of the entire nsr open reading frame.
Inferred boundaries of deletion created by targeted mutagenesis.
Homozygous males have significantly reduced fecundity (average number of offspring) compared to wild-type males. The seminal vesicle is empty or contains few sperm in the mutant males. Spermatid individualisation does not occur in the mutant testis; cystic bulges and waste bags are largely absent, investment cones are scattered along the sperm bundles and the spermatids retain substantial amounts of residual cytoplasm. The inner dynein arms are normal, but the outer dynein arms are missing, in both early and late-stage axonemes of mutant spermatids. The sperm bundles are twisted at the distal end of the testis, instead of the regular coiling seen in wild type.
