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Unusual chromatin structural organization in the sperm head of a murid rodent from Southern Africa: the red veld rat, Aethomys chrysophilus type B

The structural organization of the chromatin of cauda epididymal spermatozoa of the red veld rat Aethomys chrysophilus type B was investigated by fluorescence microscopy after staining with DNA specific dyes and by transmission electron microscopy after incubation with Triton X100, dithiothreitol, and SDS. Staining with DNA dyes showed variation in intensity of fluorescence of the sperm chromatin, with an anterior spherical region staining far more intensely than the surrounding chromatin. Transmission electron microscopy of these spermatozoa indicated that this region was composed of cords and fibres. This chromatin region dispersed more readily than the surrounding chromatin when spermatozoa were incubated with the detergents, and it is suggested that, unlike the rest of the sperm chromatin, it may be a histone-rich region, with protamine(s) being either scarce or absent.