background: diabetes mellitus (dm), primary or idiopathic is a chronic disorder of the carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism. dm may impact male reproductive function at several levels. it is shown that dm has detrimental effects on sperm parameters in human and experimental animals. objective: the aim of this study was to observe the effects of diabetes on sperm parameters (viability, cou...

During the last phase of spermatogenesis, spermiogenesis, haploid round spermatids metamorphose towards spermatozoa. Extensive cytoplasmic reduction and chromatin remodelling together allow a dramatic decrease of cellular, notably nuclear volume. DNA packing by a nucleosome based chromatin structure is largely replaced by a protamine based one. At the cytoplasmic level among others the acrosome...

In eucaryotic cells, DNA is bound to various proteins and forms a complex nucleoprotein structure called chromatin. Indispensable and ubiquitous chromatin components are histones, small proteins of highly conserved primary structure. Two molecules of each H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 type, form the nucleosomal core around which a 146 base pair (bp) stretch of DNA is wrapped. Histone H1 is bound to about...

ABSTRACT PA28? (also known as PSME3), a nuclear activator of the 20S proteasome, is involved in degradation several proteins regulating cell growth and proliferation dynamics various bodies, but its precise cellular functions remain unclear. Here, using quantitative FLIM-FRET based microscopy assay monitoring close proximity between nucleosomes living human cells, we show that controls chromati...

An emerging field of investigation in the search for treatment of human disease is the modulation of chromatin modifications. Chromatin modifications impart virtually all processes occurring in the mammalian nucleus, from regulation of transcription to genomic stability and nuclear high order organization. It has been well recognized that, as the mammalian cell ages, its chromatin structure evo...

Histone H1 and HMGB1 (high-mobility group protein B1) are the most abundant chromosomal proteins apart from the core histones (on average, one copy per nucleosome and per ten nucleosomes respectively). They are both highly mobile in the cell nucleus, with high on/off rates for binding. In vivo and in vitro evidence shows that both are able to organize chromatin structure, with H1 binding result...

Pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells are specialized cells with a dynamic chromatin structure, which is intimately connected with their pluripotency and physiology. In recent years somatic cells have been reprogrammed to a pluripotent state through over-expression of a defined set of transcription factors. These cells, known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, recapitulate ES cell propert...

It is now widely accepted that chromatin is a highly dynamic structure that participates in all DNA-related functions, including transcription, DNA replication, repair, and programmed cell death. Chromatin compaction influences plant regeneration and development. In plants, the most popular method of detecting chromatin compaction is immunofluorescence coupled with confocal microscopy. This met...

This two-volume publication contains the proceedings of a NATO Advanced Study Institute, held in April 1978. The material is organized in five sections. In the first section J. Bonner presents a historic review of chromatin research. The following section describes biophysical and chemical methods used in the study of isolated chromatin, such as electron microscopy, circular dichroism, X-ray di...

Long-range chromatin contacts between specific DNA regulatory elements play a pivotal role in gene expression regulation, and a global characterization of these interactions in the 3-dimensional (3D) chromatin structure is imperative in understanding signaling networks and cell states. Chromatin Interaction Analysis using Paired-End Tag sequencing (ChIA-PET) is a method which converts functiona...