Fluorescence energy transfer shows that various physical and chemical treatments of human sperm induce unpacking of chromatin.
Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) was used to study the changes which human sperm chromatin went through after various physical and chemical treatments. This technique showed a dilatation of the spatial relationship among chromatin liner arrays, with UV and DNAse among the treatments that gave rise to the highest increase. FRET image analysis showed that the chromatin linear arrays after treatment reach a spatial disarrangement similar to that brought about by sperm decondensation. Comparison of these results with the ability of human treated sperm to form pronuclei after microinjection into hamster eggs, suggests that the highly condensed spatial organization of sperm chromatin arrays may not be a necessary prerequisite for pronucleus formation.
Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Università di Pavia, Italy.
M
M
Zuccotti
H
H
Katayose
J
J
Matsuda
C A
CA
Redi
G
G
Bottiroli
R
R
Yanagimachi
D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006224:Cricetinae; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004735:Energy Transfer; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
D002843:Chromatin; D000431:Ethanol; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases