Extendend chromatin fibers in spermatozoa of apis mellifera (HYMENOPTERA, APOIDEA)
Braz. j. morphol. sci
;
23(3/4): 363-368, July-Dec. 2006. ilus
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-644238
ABSTRACT
The flow of chromatin from the nuclei of mouse liver cells and spermatozoa after treatment with concentratedsaline and detergent solutions under the simultaneous action of gravity results in the formation of extendedchromatin fibers (ECF). In mouse somatic nuclei, the increase in chromatin condensation is accompaniedby a decrease in the frequency of ECF formation. Since tightly packed chromatin with a very lysine-richhistone variant that resembles somatic H1 histones occurs in honey bee spermatozoa, we examined theformation of ECF in sperm cells of Apis mellifera, and compared the findings with data for mouse cells.Freshly prepared smears of fixed and unfixed semen from A. mellifera were lysed under the action of gravity,stained with toluidine blue at pH 4.0, and examined with polarized and unpolarized light. A protocol usingunfixed preparations and a short lysis period that resulted in abundant ECF production in mouse hepatocytes(which contain loosely-packed chromatin) and sperm cells produced ECF in only a few spermatozoa of A.mellifera. In contrast, a protocol using fixed preparations and a long lysis period produced fewer ECFs inthe former two cell types and no ECF formation in honey bee spermatozoa. The limited chromatin fluidityin A. mellifera spermatozoa may reflect their special DNA-protein composition and organization in the cellnuclei, the participation of nuclear matrix elements, a less effective disruption of the nuclear envelope andplasmalemmal components during lysis, and/or cytoplasmic spatial constraints resulting from particularitiesin the acrosomal complex.
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Bees
/
Chromatin
/
Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly
/
Honey
Type of study:
Practice guideline
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Animals
Language:
English
Journal:
Braz. j. morphol. sci
Journal subject:
Anatomy
Year:
2006
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Brazil
Institution/Affiliation country:
Paulista State University/BR
/
State University of Campinas/BR
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS