Publication: Transmission and scanning electron microscopic studies of the human sperm chromatin decondensed by micrococcal nuclease and salt
2
Issued Date
1982-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
1097010X
0022104X
0022104X
Other identifier(s)
2-s2.0-0020487454
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Mahidol University
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SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Journal of Experimental Zoology. Vol.221, No.1 (1982), 61-79
Suggested Citation
Prasert Sobhon, Chutima Chutatape, Panpaka Chalermisarachai, Pandung Vongpayabal, Nongnuj Tanphaichitr Transmission and scanning electron microscopic studies of the human sperm chromatin decondensed by micrococcal nuclease and salt. Journal of Experimental Zoology. Vol.221, No.1 (1982), 61-79. doi:10.1002/jez.1402210109 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/30282
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Title
Transmission and scanning electron microscopic studies of the human sperm chromatin decondensed by micrococcal nuclease and salt
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Abstract
The human sperm chromatin was gently decondensed by treating the sperm heads sequentially with micrococcal nuclease and 2 M NaCl. All histones, about 10% of DNA, and a small amount of degraded protamines were released into the soluble fraction, leaving mainly nucleoprotamines in the pellet fraction. Transmission and scanning electron microscopic studies revealed that the nucleoprotamine pellet consisted of chromatin cords of two dimensions, viz., 330‐ to 420‐Å and 650‐ to 1200‐Å thick cords laced together by very fine strands of 60‐ to 80‐Å fibers; both types of cords appeared knobby and had zig‐zag patterns throughout their length. It appeared that these cords were derived from two types of sperm heads of approximately equal population; one type contained chiefly the thick cords and the other chiefly the thin cords. Further treatment of the pelletnuclease‐NaCl with urea and mercaptoethanol resulted in the dissociation of the thick into the thin cords and unravelling of the thin cords into smaller sized fibers; whereas the treatment of the pelletnuclease‐NaCl with DNAase I resulted in the disappearance of the 60‐ to 80‐Å fibers, and the remaining cords were chiefly of thick type together with the sperm head exoskeletons. From these results the packing order of the chromatin in human sperm was proposed. Copyright © 1982 Wiley‐Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company