Reid B L, French P W, Singer A, Hagan B E, Coppleson M
Lancet. 1978 Jul 8;2(8080):60-2. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(78)91378-8.
Two types of basic protein, a histone and a protamine, were separated from single ejaculates of human sperm and a ratio between their contents in a given number of sperm established. The ratio varied widely in different males and correlated with ranking by social class: the lower the social class, the greater the proportion of protamine. Statistically similar correlations link social class with the incidence of venereal disease and the incidence of in-situ carcinoma of the cervix, both of which are epidemiological variables in squamous cervical cancer. The basic proteins of the sperm head, especially the protamines, may thus also have a role in the aetiology of squamous cervical cancer.
