A-kinase (or PKA)-anchoring protein AKAP95 is a zinc-finger protein implicated in mitotic chromosome condensation by acting as a targeting molecule for the condensin complex. We have identified determinants of chromatin-binding, condensin-targeting and chromosome-condensation activities of AKAP95. Binding of AKAP95 to chromatin is conferred by residues 387-450 and requires zinc finger ZF1. Resi...

In human fertilization, the sperm centrosome nucleates a radial array of microtubules called the sperm aster. The sperm aster is responsible for apposition of male and female pronuclei, and later gives rise to the first meiotic spindle. The objective of this study was to determine microtubule assembly and chromatin configuration in rabbit oocytes following intracytoplasmic injection with human ...

Background: Globozoospermia is an uncommon disorder of sperm morphology associated with severe male infertility. Patients who contain both normal and round-headed sperm are called partial globozoospermic. It is possible that round-headed sperm may have an abnormal chromatin structure and /or DNA strand breaks. Moreover, sperm DNA fragmentation and protamine deficiency is shown to be associated ...

Background: Following the expansion of human infertility, different procedures have been utilized for separation of normal sperm during ICSI (Intra cytoplasmic sperm injection). Hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST) is one of the tests which have been introduced for assessment of integrity of sperm membrane when confronted with hypo osmotic condition. This test may also reflect intracellular organe...

background: flow cytometry (fcm) has been extensively used to study mammalian sperm in the areas of clinical andrology and reproductive toxicology. fcm provides a powerful advantage over microscopy technique in terms of rapid accurate and reproducible technology for the quantification of various cell characteristics including chromatin status. during spermiogenesis histones are replaced by prot...

sperm dna is known to contribute one half of the genomic material to the offspring. the integrity of sperm dna is important in fertilization, embryonic and fetal development, and postnatal child well being. the nature has created multiple barriers that allow only the fittest sperm to reach and fertilize an oocyte. however, assisted reproductive techniques (art), like ivf and icsi, may allow spe...

Linker histone H1 is required for mitotic chromosome architecture in Xenopus laevis egg extracts and, unlike core histones, exhibits rapid turnover on chromatin. Mechanisms regulating the recruitment, deposition, and dynamics of linker histones in mitosis are largely unknown. We found that the cytoplasmic histone chaperone nucleosome assembly protein 1 (Nap1) associates with the embryonic isofo...

The standard semen analysis is the first line and the most popular laboratory test in the diagnosis of male fertility. It evaluates sperm concentration, motility, morphology and their vitality. However, it is well-known that normal results of semen analysis can not exclude men from the causes of couples' infertility. One of the most important parameters of sperm in its fertilizing potential is ...

Meiotic chromosomes in an oocyte are not only a maternal genome carrier but also provide a positional signal to induce cortical polarization and define asymmetric meiotic division of the oocyte, resulting in polar body extrusion and haploidization of the maternal genome. The meiotic chromosomes play dual function in determination of meiosis: 1) organizing a bipolar spindle formation and 2) indu...