Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36633190›Full record

ArticleDevelopment (Cambridge, England)2023

Hydrozoan sperm-specific SPKK motif-containing histone H2B variants stabilise chromatin with limited compaction.

Anna Török, Martin J G Browne, Jordina C Vilar, Indu Patwal, Timothy Q DuBuc, Febrimarsa, Erwan Atcheson, Uri Frank, Sebastian G Gornik, Andrew Flaus

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Development (Cambridge, England), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Canonical and Variant Nucleosome Reprogramming from Sperm to Blastula.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. The protamines of the noble false widow spiderbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024
    Article
  6. Protamines and the sperm nuclear basic proteins Pandora's Box of insects.Biochemistry and cell biology = Biochimie et biologie cellulaire · 2024
    Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Anna TörökCentre for Chromosome Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.
Martin J G BrowneCentre for Chromosome Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-7141-816X
Jordina C VilarCentre for Chromosome Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-9160-4154
Indu PatwalCentre for Chromosome Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-3346-0682
Timothy Q DuBucCentre for Chromosome Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-0165-5610
FebrimarsaCentre for Chromosome Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0003-3868-0569
Erwan AtchesonCentre for Chromosome Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-8111-1516
Uri FrankCentre for Chromosome Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0003-2094-6381
Sebastian G GornikCentre for Chromosome Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-8026-1336
Andrew FlausCentre for Chromosome Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-5720-7139
Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway · IE

Funding

Wellcome Trust 210722/Z/18/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Many animals achieve sperm chromatin compaction and stabilisation by replacing canonical histones with sperm nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs) such as protamines during spermatogenesis. Hydrozoan cnidarians and echinoid sea urchins lack protamines and have evolved a distinctive family of sperm-specific histone H2Bs (spH2Bs) with extended N termini rich in SPK(K/R) motifs. Echinoid sperm packaging is regulated by spH2Bs. Their sperm is negatively buoyant and fertilises on the sea floor. Hydroid cnidarians undertake broadcast spawning but their sperm properties are poorly characterised. We show that Hydractinia echinata and H. symbiolongicarpus sperm chromatin possesses higher stability than somatic chromatin, with reduced accessibility to transposase Tn5 integration and to endonucleases in vitro. In contrast, nuclear dimensions are only moderately reduced in mature Hydractinia sperm. Ectopic expression of spH2B in the background of H2B.1 knockdown results in downregulation of global transcription and cell cycle arrest in embryos, without altering their nuclear density. Taken together, SPKK-containing spH2B variants act to stabilise chromatin and silence transcription in Hydractinia sperm with only limited chromatin compaction. We suggest that spH2Bs could contribute to sperm buoyancy as a reproductive adaptation.

Indexed as

HistonesHydrozoaAnimalsChromatinMaleOligopeptidesProtaminesSemenSpermatozoaChromatinHistonesOligopeptidesProtaminesseryl-prolyl-lysyl-lysineChromatinH2BHistone variantsSperm-specific histonesSPKK motif

Identifiers

PMID36633190
PMCPMC9903204
OpenAlexW4315753910

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.