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Stability of the mammalian sperm nucleus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2008

R. Yanagimachi
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy and Reproductive Biology, University of Hawaii Medical School,Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.

Extract

The nuclei of spermatozoa leaving the testies are transcritionally inactivated and are structurally stabilised by extensive association of sperm DNA with protamines, highly basic proteins that replace somatic histones during spermiogenesis. During sperm matureation within teh epididymis, protamine–SH is oxidised to -SS-(Bedford & Calvin, 1974).

Type
Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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