Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 are gelatinases that take part in several reproductive processes. The aim of this study was to measure levels MMP-2 fractionated stallion ejaculates, evaluate the association between these components semen quality, sperm longevity during cooled storage. Semen quality were assessed separately for sperm-rich fractions (HIGH), sperm-poor (LOW), whole ejac...

Hypomethylated, CpG-rich DNA segments (CpG islands, CGIs) are epigenome markers involved in key biological processes. Aberrant methylation is implicated in the appearance of several disorders as cancer, immunodeficiency, or centromere instability. Furthermore, methylation differences at promoter regions between human and chimpanzee strongly associate with genes involved in neurological/psycholo...

Improvement in animal productivity has been achieved over the years through careful breeding and selection programs. Today, variations in the genome are gaining increasing importance in livestock improvement strategies. Genomic information alone, however, explains only a part of the phenotypic variance in traits. It is likely that a portion of the unaccounted variance is embedded in the epigeno...

Different aspects of sperm function can be monitored with a wide array of microscopy techniques, from simple optical microscopy to sophisticated fluorescence microscopy (epifluorescence and confocal), and the level of analysis may be adjusted and complemented according to specific needs. Cursory assessments involving sperm number and motility can be easily performed, while more detailed analyse...

The objectives of this study were to determine if human ejaculated sperm exhibit active caspases and if caspase-dependent apoptosis markers are identifiable. Sperm from fertile donors and infertile patients were examined after gradient separation into leukocyte-free fractions of high and low motility. Sperm were evaluated for motion parameters, morphology, caspase activation, and apoptosis mark...