title: Human male infertility may be due to a decrease of the protamine P2 content in sperm chromatin.
abstract: Basic chromosomal proteins were extracted from the sperm of fertile and infertile human males. The relative proportions of protamine 1, 2, and 3 were determined by scanning microdensitometry following electrophoresis of total protamine in polyacrylamide gels. The findings were as follows: (1) The proportion of protamine P(2 + 3) in sperm obtained from infertile males was lower than that in fertile males. (2) Protamine P(2 + 3) in infertile human males showed reduced affinity to DNA. The possibility that some cases of human male infertility may be due to mutation within the protamine P2 gene is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Belokopytova
authors.forename: E I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Kostyleva
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Tomilin
authors.forename: V I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Vorob'ev
mesh_terms: D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011479:Protamines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D011479:Protamines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C046533:protamine P1; C048529:protamine P2; C052196:protamine P3