Sperm Chromatin: Implications on organismal development and fertility

精子和卵细胞将遗传和表观遗传信息从父母传递给后代，在一个物种的过去、现在和未来之间起着联系作用。与用组蛋白包装DNA的卵母细胞和体细胞不同，成熟精子的DNA受到精蛋白的结合，精蛋白是高度碱性和快速进化的蛋白质，对父系染色质的紧凑至关重要。这种不同的包装可以追溯到&gt；5亿年前，然而它的生物学和进化意义仍然未知。到目前为止，鱼精蛋白一直被认为是高度浓缩和保护父亲DNA的被动结构元素，然而，新的生化、进化和发育证据要求重新研究鱼精蛋白的生物学功能。我们使用了尖端的分子、生化和遗传学方法来研究鱼精蛋白在生育、早期发育和进化中的作用。总之，这里提出的发现将增加我们对这些古老但快速进化的蛋白质的分子理解，并可能颠覆长期以来关于它们假定功能的教条。

Sperm and egg cells carry genetic and epigenetic information from parents to offspring, serving as a link between the past, present and future of a species. Unlike oocytes and somatic cells, which package their DNA with histones, the DNA of mature sperm is bound by protamines, highly basic and rapidly evolving proteins that are essential for the compaction of paternal chromatin. This differential packaging traces back >500 million years, yet its biological and evolutionary significance remains unknown. Protamines have thus far been considered passive structural elements that hyper condense and protect paternal DNA, however emerging biochemical, evolutionary, and developmental evidence calls for a need to revisit protamine proteins’ biological function. We have employed cutting-edge molecular, biochemical, and genetic approaches to investigate the role of protamines in fertility, early development, and evolution. Together, the findings presented here will increase our molecular understanding of these ancient, yet rapidly evolving proteins and may overturn the long-held dogma of their presumed function.