Abstract
The localization of centromeres in mature human sperm was shown by immunofluorescent labeling and nonisotopic in situ hybridization. In the decondensed nucleus structural elements (dimers, tetramers, linear arrays and V shape structures) formed by individual centromeres of nonhomologous chromosomes were observed. They organize the compact chromocenter, which was shown for nuclei decondensed to a low extent. The chromocenter is buried inside the nucleus; in contrast, telomeric regions of chromosomes were tentatively localized on the periphery. Thus, a gross architecture, which can influence selective unpackaging of the paternal genome upon fertilization, exists in human sperm.
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Communicated by: W.C. Earnshaw
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Zalensky, A.O., Breneman, J.W., Zalenskaya, I.A. et al. Organization of centromeres in the decondensed nuclei of mature human sperm. Chromosoma 102, 509–518 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00368344
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00368344