Tolerance of the mouse sperm nuclei to freeze-drying depends on their disulfide status.
Mouse spermatozoa from the caudae epididymides could be freeze-dried without losing their ability to support normal development. Immature spermatozoa from the testes, in contrast, were damaged by freeze-drying. However, immature spermatozoa became resistant to freeze-drying after their treatment with diamide, which oxidizes free -SH groups. Conversely, epididymal spermatozoa were damaged by freeze-drying if first treated with dithiothreitol (DTT), which reduces -SS- bonds. The potential for freeze-drying damage seems likely to relate to the -SS- status of sperm proteins, in particular its protamines.
Kaneko
Takehito
T
Institute for Biogenesis Research, Department of Anatomy and Reproductive Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA. takehito@hawaii.edu
Whittingham
David G
DG
Overstreet
James W
JW
Yanagimachi
Ryuzo
R
D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003958:Diamide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004229:Dithiothreitol / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D004822:Epididymis / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D005612:Freeze Drying / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
D004220:Disulfides; D003958:Diamide; D004229:Dithiothreitol