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Chromosome Positioning in Spermatozoa

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Sperm Chromatin

Abstract

Similar to interphase chromosomes, mammalian supercompact and genetically inactive sperm chromatin is arranged in non-overlapping chromosome territories. Recent works demonstrate that chromosome territories in sperm have defined and nonrandom intranuclear positioning. It is hypothesized that preferred localization of chromosomes in sperm together with well-organized chromosome architecture provide epigenetic signature to genome, which might be important at fertilization and early development. Here, we describe relevant experimental data with primary attention to the studies related to human spermatozoa. Possible implications of sperm chromosome positioning for modern reproductive technologies are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by the Jones Foundation grant, and in part by National Institutes of Health Grant HD-042748 to A. Z.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eastern Virginia Medical School, The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, 601 Colley Avenue, Norfolk, VA, 23507, USA

    Andrei Zalensky PhD, DSci

  2. Eastern Virginia Medical School, The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Olga Mudrak PhD

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, CONRAD, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Irina Zalenskaya PhD

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  1. Andrei Zalensky PhD, DSci
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  2. Olga Mudrak PhD
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  3. Irina Zalenskaya PhD
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Correspondence to Andrei Zalensky PhD, DSci .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. St. Mary's Hospital, Div. Urology, McGill University, Lacombe Avenue 3830, Montreal, H3T 1M5, Québec, Canada

    Armand Zini

  2. Lerner College of Medicine, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Euclid Avenue 9500, Cleveland, 44195, Ohio, USA

    Ashok Agarwal

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Zalensky, A., Mudrak, O., Zalenskaya, I. (2011). Chromosome Positioning in Spermatozoa. In: Zini, A., Agarwal, A. (eds) Sperm Chromatin. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6857-9_5

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