title: Expression of human oocyte-specific linker histone protein and its incorporation into sperm chromatin during fertilization.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression of oocyte-specific linker histone protein (hH1FOO) in human ovaries and its incorporation into sperm chromatin after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Laboratory study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Human ovarian tissues were obtained from patients at oophorectomy. Human oocytes and embryos were obtained from infertile patients undergoing IVF and ICSI.
  
  
  METHODS
  A polyclonal rabbit antibody targeting the predicted hH1FOO protein was used for immunohistochemical analysis. Western blot analysis and the reverse transcriptase-nested polymerase chain reaction were done to detect hH1FOO in chromatin of germinal vesicle-stage oocytes through to two-cell embryos.
  
  
  METHODS
  The hH1FOO antibody reactivity of oocytes, ovarian tissues, and sperm chromatin after ICSI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  hH1FOO protein was localized in all oocytes from primordial to Graafian follicles. In unfertilized oocytes after ICSI, the chromatin of injected sperm was condensed without hH1FOO incorporation in 45.5% of oocytes, condensed with hH1FOO incorporation in 9%, and decondensed with hH1FOO incorporation in 45.5%. None of the oocytes contained decondensed sperm chromatin without hHFOO incorporation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  hH1FOO protein was expressed by human oocytes from primordial follicles to early embryogenesis. Sperm nuclei that were still condensed after ICSI could be separated into two categories by hH1FOO incorporation, which might provide valuable information regarding failed fertilization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan. naoaki@sc.itc.keio.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mizusawa
authors.forename: Naoaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kuji
authors.forename: Yudai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Setsuko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004527:Egg Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization / Q000235:genetics*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006657:Histones / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000378:metabolism; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D004527:Egg Proteins; C474374:H1-8 protein, human; D006657:Histones