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Nucleosomal domains of mouse spermatozoa chromatin as potential sites for retroposition and foreign DNA integration
Author(s) -
Pittoggi Carmine,
Zaccagnini Germana,
Giordano Roberto,
Magnano Anna Rosa,
Baccetti Baccio,
Lorenzini Rodolfo,
Spadafora Corrado
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2795(200006)56:2+<248::aid-mrd7>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - biology , chromatin , dna , sperm , protamine , genetics , histone , nucleosome , exogenous dna , genomic dna , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , heparin
Exogenous DNA molecules are spontaneously taken up by sperm cells, internalized in nuclei, and eventually integrated in the sperm genome. The actual occurrence of the integration suggests that the sperm chromosomal DNA is not uniformly and tightly packed with protamines, implying the existence of genomic sites where the chromosomal DNA is accessible to foreign molecules. We have characterized a hypersensitive, nucleosomal subfraction of mouse sperm chromatin that is highly enriched in unmethylated retroposon DNA from a variety of families. Here we propose that both the integration of exogenous DNA molecules, and the endogenous retroposition activity, occur in the same site(s) of sperm chromatin. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 56:248–251, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.