Chronic exposure of male rats to the alkylating agent cyclophosphamide, a well-known male-mediated developmental toxicant, alters gene expression in male germ cells as well as in early preimplantation embryos sired by cyclophosphamide-exposed males. Sperm DNA is organized by the nuclear matrix into loop-domains in a sequence-specific manner. In somatic cells, loop-domain organization is involve...

this study was designed to evaluate the detrimental effect of atrazine (atr) on germinal epitheliums (ge) cytoplasmic carbohydrate (ch) and unsaturated fatty acids (ufa) ratio and to clarify the effect of atr on serum levels of fsh, lh, testosterone and inhibin-b (inh-b). the impact of atr exposure on total antioxidant capacity (tac), sperm dna packing and integrity were also investigated. seve...

The characteristic morphogenetic changes which occur during sperm formation are at times accompanied by profound chemical alterations of the nuclear material. Thus it has been known since Miescher's pioneer studies during the 1870's (19) that nuclei in the immature salmon testis contain nucleohistones, while ripe salmon sperm contain nucleoprotamines. Basic proteins which are intermediate in co...

Cells of the dermal glands in Calpodes ethlius Stoll (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae) survive without division but increase in size from moult to moult. The secretory cells become especially large, measuring up to 6 mm long in the fifth larval stadium. The nucleus in these giant cells has a sponge-like profile, with the nuclear envelope indented around cytoplasmic intrusions, each of which comes to c...

Sperm concentration, morphology, DNA condensation and nuclear protein pattern as well as sperm adenylate cyclase were evaluated in semen samples provided by 7 volunteers every 8 h for 2 days. During the observation period, sperm concentration and total sperm number decreased but began to return towards normal after a 3-day abstinence period. No increase in the proportion of immature sperm cells...

A cell-free cytoplasmic preparation from activated Rana pipiens eggs could induce in demembranated Xenopus laevis sperm nuclei morphological changes similar to those seen during pronuclear formation in intact eggs. The condensed sperm chromatin underwent an initial rapid, but limited, dispersion. A nuclear envelope formed around the dispersed chromatin and the nuclei enlarged. The subcellular d...

The present study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) and a well-known sperm morphology classification (Tygerberg criteria). For MSOME, spermatozoa were analysed at x8400 magnification by inverted microscope equipped with Nomarski differential interference contrast optics, Uplan Apo x100 oil/1.35 objective lens and variable zoom le...

BACKGROUND Sperm chromatin status and nuclear DNA damage can be detected using well-established assays. However, most techniques are time-consuming and/or involve elaborate protocols and equipment. We have recently developed a simple and fast method to monitor sperm chromatin status in field conditions using the Diff-Quik assay which is employed in fertility clinics to assess sperm morphology w...

The highly condensed chromatin of mammalian spermatozoa is usually considered to be biologically inert before fertilization. However, we have demonstrated that even in this compacted state, sperm chromatin is subject to degradation at open configurations associated with the nuclear matrix through a process we have termed sperm chromatin fragmentation (SCF). This suggests that a mechanism exists...