Deoxyribonuclease Activity in Human Seminal Fluid

Abstract

Deoxyribonuclease (DNase) activity was examined in the whole and two split fractions of human seminal fluid from normospermic, oligozoospermic, and azoospermic origins as well as in sonicates of isolated sperm after freezing and thawing of samples and at various pH values of substrates. The method consisted in the measurement of digested areas in plates containing herring sperm deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). No correlation was found between DNase activity (875 ? 22 (SE) nglml) and seminal fluid quality. The enzyme activity was significantly lower in the second split portion (764 t 43 ng/ml) as compared to the first (971 t 41 ng/ml). Sonicates of washed sperm were inactive. It is suggested that DNase activity derives from the epididymis and possibly from the vas deferens where it participates in the decomposition of DNA from dead cells.

Characterization of DNA cleavage produced by seminal plasma using leukocytes as a cell target

“…DNase activity has been previously reported in sperms of mammals (Tanigawa et al 1975;Takeshita et al 1994;Yamauchi et al 2007), chickens (Sato et al 2003) and fish (Lanes et al 2009). In humans, the existence of a nuclease activity in seminal plasma has been known for decades (Singer et al 1983). It has been proposed that both DNase I and DNase II are involved in this activity, but the methods used to identify these enzymes did not allow its unambiguous characterization (Yasuda et al 1992;Nadano et al 1993).…”

Role of DNase Activity in Human Sperm DNA Fragmentation

“…The first fraction of the human ejaculate arriving at the cervix is typically enriched with spermatozoa compared to the second. Dnase activity has been shown to be significantly lower in the second fraction of the ejaculate when compared to the first [ 49 ]. While the biological and functional significance of this phenomenon is unknown, further research effort is required to better understand its physiological significance so that semen manipulation procedures in the laboratory can better reflect what occurs in nature, leading to improved assisted reproductive outcomes.…”

“…When DNase activity is tested in seminal plasma, its effectiveness in digesting naked DNA varies among individual seminal plasma samples ([ 45 , 46 , 48 , 49 ]; [ Figure 2 a,b]). Although it is clear that seminal plasma DNases are efficient at digesting naked DNA, the question that arises is whether these nucleases are capable of acting on DNA compacted in chromatin in the cell nucleus.…”

“…While the biological and functional significance of this phenomenon is unknown, further research effort is required to better understand its physiological significance so that semen manipulation procedures in the laboratory can better reflect what occurs in nature, leading to improved assisted reproductive outcomes. When DNase activity is tested in seminal plasma, its effectiveness in digesting naked DNA varies among individual seminal plasma samples ( [45,46,48,49]; [Figure 2a,b]). Although it is clear that seminal plasma DNases are efficient at digesting naked DNA, the question that arises is whether these nucleases are capable of acting on DNA compacted in chromatin in the cell nucleus.…”

Nucleic Acid Association to Human Prostasomes

“…Many of the sperm transported from the epididymis to the vas deferens degenerate during this passage, probably releasing their DNA [5]. DNA-degrading (DNase) activity has been reported in seminal plasma, but no correlation has been found between enzyme activity and sperm cell concentration [21]. Both alkaline and acid DNase activities have been reported [2] either 1.1 mL of water for absorbance measurements in a spectrophotometer or in 50 pL of water for analysis by electrophoresis.…”