Mycoplasma-mediated uptake of the exogenous human BRCA1 gene by hatching blastocysts.

PURPOSE: Biological vectors for cell transfection are mainly viral in origin, with inherent shortcomings. Mycoplasmas are ubiquitous organisms that traverse cells easily. The objective was to determine if Ureaplasma urealyticum (T-mycoplasma) would vector exogenous BRCA1 DNA into blastocysts. METHODS: Hatching mouse blastocysts (N = 70) were incubated in the presence of either viable or dead Ureaplasma urealyticum at 37 degrees C for 1 hr. The blastocysts were exposed to human BRCA1 DNA lacking homology in the mouse genome for 2 hr, followed by DNase-1 treatment and wash. Polymerase chain reaction and agarose gel electrophoresis analysis of amplified products were performed. RESULTS: The BRCA1 gene was detected in the blastocysts only when viable Ureaplasma was present. PCR analyses of control Ureaplasma and untreated blastocysts were negative. CONCLUSION: Viable Ureaplasma organisms were shown to mediate the uptake of DNA fragments into blastocysts, resulting in transgenic mouse blastocysts with a normal human BRCA1 exon 11 gene.

Tenacity of exogenous human papillomavirus DNA in sperm washing.

PURPOSE: Sperm cells have been shown to take up exogenous DNA readily. The hypothesis was that sperm washing would remove exogenous viral DNA infecting sperm cells. The objective was to compare three types of sperm washing procedures for their capacity to remove exogenous human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA from infected sperm. METHODS: Prewashed sperm were equally divided and sperm in one portion were exposed to L1 HPV DNA fragments for 30 min at 37 degrees C. Untreated washed sperm served as the control. After transfection, the sperm were washed by either centrifuge, two-layer Isolate colloid wash, or test-yolk buffer procedures. Sperm parameters were measured on a Hamilton Thorn HTM-C analyzer. Sperm DNA were extracted and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out targeting the L1 consensus gene of HPV and the designated sentinel gene, 17q21 spanning the D17S855 gene. Amplified products were analyzed in 2% agarose gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: PCR analyses detected the consensus L1 HPV gene in sperm after they were processed through either of the three procedures. Controls were negative for the L1 gene. Extracted DNA were verified by PCR amplification of 17q21 spanning the D17S855 gene. Transfected sperm had higher percentages of total motility and progression compared with the control. Centrifuged, washed, transfected sperm exhibited a greater curvilinear velocity and hyperactivation. CONCLUSIONS: The data showed that washing would not remove exogenous HPV DNA from sperm cells. The viral DNA was tenaciously bound to the sperm, suggesting an internalization into the sperm. The viral DNA also increased the motility of the sperm by affecting the velocity and progression of the sperm, which suggested either an increase in metabolism, an enhancement of the calcium-regulated motility mechanism, or an artifact of PCR reagents. More studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism of DNA stimulated sperm motility.