Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T01:50:09.107Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Stability of the mammalian sperm nucleus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2008

R. Yanagimachi
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy and Reproductive Biology, University of Hawaii Medical School,Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.

Extract

The nuclei of spermatozoa leaving the testies are transcritionally inactivated and are structurally stabilised by extensive association of sperm DNA with protamines, highly basic proteins that replace somatic histones during spermiogenesis. During sperm matureation within teh epididymis, protamine–SH is oxidised to -SS-(Bedford & Calvin, 1974).

Type
Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Balhorn, R. (1982). A model for the structure of chromatin in mammalian sperm. J. Cell Biol. 93, 298305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bedford, J.M. (1991). The coevolution of mammalian gametes. In Comparative Overview of Mammalian Fertilization, ed. Dunbar, B.S.O'Rand, G.O., pp. 335. New York: Plenum Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bedford, J.M. & Calvin, H.I. (1974). The occurrence and possible functional significance of –SS– crosslinks in sperm heads, with particular references to eutherian mammals. J. Exp. Zool. 188, 137–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crozet, N. (1993). Fertilization in vivo and in vitro. In Reproduction in Mammals and Man, ed. Thibault, C. et al. , pp.327–47. Paris:Ellipses.Google Scholar
DaSilva, L.B., Trebes, J.E. et al. , (1992). x-ray laser microscopy of ram sperm nuclei.Science 258, 269–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goto, K.. (1993). Bovine microfertilization and embryo transfer. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 36, 288–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goto, K., Kinioshita, A. et al. . (1990). Fertilization of bovine oocytes by the injection of immobilized, killed spermatozoa. Vet. Rec. 127, 517–20.Google ScholarPubMed
Katayose, H., Matsuda, J. & Yanagimachi, R. (1992). The ability of dehydrated hamster and human sperm nuclei to develop into pronuclei. Biol. Reprod. 47, 277–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Navara, C.S., First, N.L. & Schatten, G. (1994). Microtubule-organization in the cow during fertilization, polyspermy, parthenogencesis, and nuclear transfer: the role of sperm aster. Dev. Biol. 162, 2940.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swann, K. (1990). A cytosolic sperm factor stimulates repetitive calcium increase and mimics fertilization in hamster eggs. Development 130, 1295–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swann, K. (1993). The soluble sperm oscillogen hypothesis. Zygote 1, 273–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ward, W.S. (1993). Deoxyribonucleic acid loop domain tertiary structure in mammalian spermatozoa. Biol. Reprod. 48, 1193–201.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ward, W.S. &Coffey, D.S.. (1991). DNA packaging and organization in mammalian spermatozoa: comparison with somatic cells. Biol. Reprod. 44, 569–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yanagida, K.Yanagimachi, R. et al. (1991). Thermostablility of sperm nuclei assessed by microinjection into hamster oocyters. Biol. Reprod. 44, 440–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yanagimachi, R., Katayose, H. et al. (1992). Stability of mammalian sperm nuclei. In Molecular and Cellular Biology of Reproduction, ed. Spera, S. et al. , pp. 157–68. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar