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PMID: 7587580 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Well-defined genome architecture in the human sperm nucleus.

Chromosoma ·Vol. 103 ·No. 9 ·1995-05-00 ·Pages 577-90

Zalensky AO, Allen MJ, Kobayashi A, Zalenskaya IA, Balhórn R, Bradbury EM

Abstract

Using fluorescence in situ hybridization, conventional epifluorescence microscopy, and laser scanning confocal microscopy followed by three-dimensional reconstruction we describe a well-defined higher order packaging of the human genome in the sperm cell nucleus. This was determined by the spatial localization of centromere and telomere regions of all chromosomes and supported by localization of subtelomere sequences of chromosome 3 and the entire chromosome 2. The nuclear architecture in the human sperm is characterized by the clustering of the 23 centromeres into a compact chromocenter positioned well inside the nucleus. The ends of the chromosomes are exposed to the nuclear periphery where both the subtelomere and the telomere sequences of the chromosome arms are joined into dimers. Thus chromosomes in the human sperm nucleus are looped into a hairpin-like configuration. The biological implications of this nuclear architecture in spermatogenesis and male pronuclear formation following fertilization are discussed.

MeSH Terms
Cell Nucleus/ultrastructure Centromere/ultrastructure Chromosomes, Human/ultrastructure Chromosomes, Human, Pair 2/ultrastructure Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3/ultrastructure Humans Image Processing, Computer-Assisted In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence/methods Male Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, Confocal Microscopy, Fluorescence Nuclear Envelope/chemistry Spermatozoa/chemistry,ultrastructure Telomere/ultrastructure
Authors & Affiliations
6 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Zalensky A O
Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California at Davis 95616, USA.
Allen M J
Kobayashi A
Zalenskaya I A
Balhórn R
Bradbury E M
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Article Info
Journal
Chromosoma
Abbr.
Chromosoma
ISSN
0009-5915
DOI
10.1007/BF00357684
Published
1995-05-00
Pages
577-90
Language
English
Region
Austria
NLM ID
2985138R
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1007/BF00357684 View journal details
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