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Correspondence to: Corrado Spadafora, CNR Institute of Biomedical Technology, Via G.B. Morgagni 30/E, 00161 Rome, Italy. Tel:+39 06 49903117/2972 Fax:+39 06 49387120 E-mail:cspadaf{at}tin.it.
We show here that a reverse transcriptase (RT) activity is present in murine epididymal spermatozoa. Sperm cells incubated with human poliovirus RNA can take up exogenous RNA molecules and internalize them in nuclei. Direct PCR amplification of DNA extracted from RNA-incubated spermatozoa indicate that poliovirus RNA is reverse-transcribed in cDNA fragments. PCR analysis of two-cell embryos shows that poliovirus RNA-challenged spermatozoa transfer retrotranscribed cDNA molecules into eggs during in vitro fertilization. Finally, RT molecules can be visualized on sperm nuclear scaffolds by immunogold electron microscopy. These results, therefore, reveal a novel metabolic function in spermatozoa, which may play a role during early embryonic development.
Key Words: spermatozoa, reverse transcriptase, retroposon, nuclear scaffold, fertilization
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