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The Emerging Role of the Sperm Epigenome and its Potential Role in Development

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Biennial Review of Infertility

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Abstract

The sperm genome has traditionally been thought to lack chromatin structure significant to affect embryonic development, since during spermatogenesis nucleosomes are widely replaced by protamines, which are believed to silence the genome, and the sperm DNA was known to be hypermethylated in comparison to the egg. The notion of an irrelevant sperm epigenome has been widely challenged due to many recent reports that suggest that sperm chromatin is actually poised similar to an embryonic stem cell, a finding that has been reported in the germline of many organisms. The significance of the mature sperm cellular epigenome is unknown; however, one may foresee two potential roles: either a role in developing embryo or a reminiscent memory of the spermatogonial stem cell with no significance beyond ensuring proper sperm differentiation and maturation. If these marks do help guide the embryo, then perturbations to the epigenome may have implications on embryo quality, likelihood of maintaining a pregnancy, or disease onset later in life.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Andrology and IVF Laboratories, Departments of Surgery (Urology), Obstetrics and Gynecology and Physiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Douglas T. Carrell

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  1. Sue Hammoud
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Brigham & Women's Hospital, Dept. Obstetrics & Gynecology, Harvard Medical School, Francis St. 75, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    Catherine Racowsky

  2. Weill Cornell Medical Center, Dept. Urology, New York Presbyterian Hospital, East 68th St. 525, New York, 10021, New York, USA

    Peter N. Schlegel

  3. , Department of Reproductive Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, PO Box 85500, Utrecht, 3508 GA, Netherlands

    Bart C. Fauser

  4. Departments of Surgery (Urology), Obstetrics & Gynecology & Physiology, Andrology and IVF Laboratories, Arapeen Dr. 675, Salt Lake City, 84108, Utah, USA

    Douglas T. Carrell

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Hammoud, S., Carrell, D.T. (2011). The Emerging Role of the Sperm Epigenome and its Potential Role in Development. In: Racowsky, C., Schlegel, P., Fauser, B., Carrell, D. (eds) Biennial Review of Infertility. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8456-2_13

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