DNA in mammalian, and most vertebrate sperm, is packaged by protamines into a highly condensed, biochemically inert form of chromatin. A model is proposed for the structure of this DNA-protamine complex which describes the site and mode of protamine binding to DNA and postulates, for the first time, specific inter- and intraprotamine interactions essential for the organization of this highly sp...

OBJECTIVES Protamines are cationic peptides that exert antimicrobial activity. We have examined the evolution of bacterial resistance to protamine sulphate and the resulting effects on fitness and physiology, with the objective of increasing knowledge about mechanisms of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial peptides. METHODS Spontaneous, protamine-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhim...

BACKGROUND The objective of this research was to design an effective gene delivery system composed of cationic solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), protamine, and Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA. METHODS Cationic SLNs were prepared using an aqueous solvent diffusion method with octadecylamine as the cationic lipid material. First, protamine was combined with DNA to form binary protamine/DNA nanopartic...

BACKGROUND Systemic protamine sulfate for heparin reversal after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with uncommon, but life-threatening adverse reactions. METHODS In a prospective randomized 3-day outcomes study, a heparin removal device (HRD) group (n = 12; 60-, 80-, 100-kg subgroups) was compared with a matched systemic Protamine group (Protamine; n = 6) for safety and efficacy usin...

A well-defined, one-to-one conjugate between human serum albumin (HSA) and protamine was synthesized and characterized as a biocompatible carrier for macromolecules. In circulation, the conjugate will camouflage drug molecules upon complex formation, while liberating free drug at the desired location using a triggering mechanism. The N-terminus of protamine was thiolated and conjugated with the...

BACKGROUND Sperm membrane integrity is not only important as a barrier between intra- and extra-cellular spaces, but also it can be considered as a sign of DNA integrity. Hypoosmotic swelling test reflects membrane integrity and has been used to evaluate sperm quality. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in adjunct with hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST) has been used for treatment of males ...

Overweight and obesity are usually related with high fat and calorie intake, and seriously causative of lifestyle-related diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, arteriosclerosis, and colon cancer. In this study, we propose a novel dietary therapy against overweight and obesity using mixtures of protamine and chitooligosaccharide (COS), which are known to interrupt the lipid metabolism in th...

Protamines are extremely variable and positively charged proteins which act by compacting the DNA in the sperm nucleus of many species (1). Their precise role and evolutionary pathways are not well understood at present probably because of the variable nature of these proteins and the corresponding sperm-associated structures together with the limited number of species with known protamine nucl...

Protamine reversal of heparin anticoagulation in patients is occasionally associated with life-threatening acute pulmonary hypertension. In a sheep model, we evaluated the effect on this adverse cardiopulmonary reaction of modifying the type of heparin (low molecular weight heparin compared with unfractionated heparin) and the type of heparin antagonist (polybrene compared with protamine). Prot...