title: Viable offspring obtained from Prm1-deficient sperm in mice.
abstract: Protamines are expressed in the spermatid nucleus and allow denser packaging of DNA compared with histones. Disruption of the coding sequence of one allele of either protamine 1 (Prm1) or Prm2 results in failure to produce offspring, although sperm with disrupted Prm1 or Prm2 alleles are produced. Here, we produced Prm1-deficient female chimeric mice carrying Prm1-deficient oocytes. These mice successfully produced Prm1(+/-) male mice. Healthy Prm1(+/-) offspring were then produced by transferring blastocysts obtained via in vitro fertilization using zona-free oocytes and sperm from Prm1(+/-) mice. This result suggests that sperm lacking Prm1 can generate offspring despite being abnormally shaped and having destabilised DNA, decondensed chromatin and a reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential. Nevertheless, these mice showed little derangement of expression profiles.
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Genetics, Institute of Resource Development and Analysis, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Kumamoto 860-0811, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kumamoto University, 4-24-1 Kuhonji, Kumamoto 862-0975, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshinaga
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, Institute of Advanced Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, 811-1 Kimiidera, Wakayama 641-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenryo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Furushima
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazufumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takamune
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
authors.forename: Zhenghua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Kumamoto Health Science University, 325 Izumi-machi, Kita-ku, Kumamoto 861-5598, Japan.
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.affiliation: Center for Developmental Biology, RIKEN Kobe, 2-2-3 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aizawa
authors.affiliation: Yamamura Project Laboratory, Institute of Resource Development and Analysis, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-0811, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken-Ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001757:Blastomeres / Q000378:metabolism; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D011479:Protamines / Q000378:metabolism*; D013087:Spermatids / Q000378:metabolism; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; C513176:Prm1 protein, mouse; D011479:Protamines; D004247:DNA