OBJECTIVE: To review and summarize the current understanding of the epigenetic status of
human sperm in regards to protamination, specific localization and modifications of retained …

Among infertile couples, 25% involve both male and female factors, while male factor alone
accounts for another 25% due to oligo-, astheno-, teratozoospermia, a combination of the …

Familial inheritance of drug abuse is composed of both genetic and environmental factors.
Additionally, epigenetic transgenerational inheritance may provide a means by which …

Extensive chromatin reprogramming occurs at fertilization and is thought to be under the
control of maternal factors, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We …

Background Environmentally induced epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of pathology
and phenotypic variation has been demonstrated in all organisms investigated from plants to …

Exposure of developing male germ cells to environmental insults has been linked to adverse
effects in the offspring. One mechanism by which germ cell defects may be passed …

Across species, sperm maturation involves the dramatic reconfiguration of chromatin into
highly compact nuclei that enhance hydrodynamic ability and ensure paternal genomic …

Imprinted loci play a critical role in fetal development. Their expression is often regulated by
CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) protein binding at imprinting control regions (ICRs). Prenatal …

Varicocele is found in approximately 20% of adults and adolescents and in 19–41% of men
seeking treatment for infertility. It is associated with a decrease in sperm count as well as …

Haploid spermatids undergo extensive cellular, molecular and morphological changes to
form spermatozoa during spermiogenesis. Abnormalities in these steps can lead to serious …