We have recently demonstrated that mammalian spermatozoa have the ability to degrade their DNA by a mechanism that is similar to apoptosis in somatic cells. When this mechanism is activated, the DNA is first degraded into loop-sized fragments by TOP2B (topoisomerase IIB). This degradation, termed sperm chromatin fragmentation, can be reversed by EDTA, which causes TOP2B to religate the double-stranded breaks it originally produced. Under certain conditions, a nuclease then degrades the sperm DNA further, digesting the entire sperm genome. When mouse spermatozoa which have been treated to induce TOP2B-mediated DNA breaks are injected into oocytes, the paternal DNA is specifically and completely degraded. This total digestion of paternal DNA occurs at the time of DNA synthesis initiation. In the present study, we explore the significance of an active TOP2B in the nucleus for mouse sperm function.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
June 2007
-
Cover Image
Cover Image
- PDF Icon PDF LinkFront Matter
- PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
Conference Article|
May 22 2007
Sperm DNA fragmentation: awakening the sleeping genome
J.A. Shaman;
J.A. Shaman
1Institute for Biogenesis Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, 1960 East–West Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, U.S.A.
Search for other works by this author on:
Y. Yamauchi;
Y. Yamauchi
1Institute for Biogenesis Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, 1960 East–West Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, U.S.A.
Search for other works by this author on:
W.S. Ward
W.S. Ward
1
1Institute for Biogenesis Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, 1960 East–West Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, U.S.A.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email [email protected]).
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
November 04 2006
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2007 Biochemical Society
2007
Biochem Soc Trans (2007) 35 (3): 626–628.
Article history
Received:
November 04 2006
Citation
J.A. Shaman, Y. Yamauchi, W.S. Ward; Sperm DNA fragmentation: awakening the sleeping genome. Biochem Soc Trans 1 June 2007; 35 (3): 626–628. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0350626
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Biochemical Society Member Sign in
Sign InSign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionGet Access To This Article
Get Email Alerts
Open Access for all
We offer compliant routes for all authors from 2025. With library support, there will be no author nor reader charges in 5 journals. Check here |
![]() |