Nuclear decondensation of mammalian spermatozoa: changes during maturation and in vitro storage.

Swelling of the spermatozoan nucleus and decondensation of the chromatim occur soon after penetration of spermatozoa into the egg cytoplasm. This decondensation was duplicated in vitro by incubating pre-ejaculatory ram, rabbit and bovine spermatozoa and also stored post-ejaculatory bovine spermatozoa in 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate and 2.0 mM dithiothreitol. Spermatozoa obtained from the testis and epididymal caput, corpus and cauda showed a progressive resistance to nuclear decondensation, while no change was evident in the decondensation time of spermatozoa obtained from the epididymal cauda, vas deferens and ejaculated semen. There was also a significant increase in decondensation time after the spermatozoa had been stored in vitro at 25 degrees C. This increased resistance to nuclear decondensation in the in vitro stored spermatozoa, reflecting an increase in cross-linking within the spermatozoan histones by formation of disulfide bonds, may account for part of the increased embryonic mortality observed when spermatozoa are stored in vitro prior to insemination.