https://doi.org/10.4081/ejh.2024.3950

Giving bodies to ghosts: locating molecules in the very place where they exert their biological roles

Vol. 68 No. 1 (2024): 1954-2024: 70 Years of Histochemical Research
Submitted: 22 December 2023
Accepted: 22 January 2024
Published: 29 January 2024
Genome size, Feulgen reaction, sperm, oocytes
Abstract Views: 808
PDF: 311
HTML: 2
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Ernesto Capanna
National Academy of Sciences, Accademia dei Lincei, Rome, Italy.
CarloAlberto Redi
carloalberto.redi@unipv.it
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1024-9865
National Academy of Sciences, Accademia dei Lincei, Rome, Italy.

This paper reviews some of the goals of our investigations published over the years on Rivista di Istochimica Normale e Patologica, Basic and Applied Histochemistry, and the European Journal of Histochemistry - EJH. In a series of papers, we published some of the basic cytochemical features of the sperm cytodifferentiation process for the first time. This was a conceptual and practical prerequisite to the in situ quantitative evaluation of sperm DNA content. We showed that the discrepancy between the expected 1:2 ratio when comparing sperm versus somatic cell DNA content (sperm DNA content is always far low from the theoretical value) is due to DNA losses caused by the hydrochloric treatment entailed by the Feulgen reaction. The knowledge of the specific losses that occur during the various steps of the Feulgen reaction has allowed us to use it critically in Genome Size studies to highlight: - sperm aneuploidy in chromosomally derived subfertility; - the broad variability range of Mammalian genome sizes; - that termites are roaches (after decades of discussion on this topic). In addition, in a seminal paper on human oocytes, we showed (by transmission electron microscopy) a specific chromatin and cytoplasmic organization (both essential for further embryo development) linked to oocyte maturation arrest, a datum quite relevant to treating unmet therapeutic needs in human and veterinary reproduction.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC
Venter JC, Adams MD, Myers EW, Li PW, Mural RJ, Sutton GG, et al. The sequence of the human genome. Science 2001;291:1304-51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1058040
Bernardi G. The compositional evolution of vertebrate genomes. Gene 2000;259:31-43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1119(00)00441-8
Capanna E, Manfredi Romanini MG. Nuclear DNA content and morphology of the karyotype in certain Palearctic Microchiroptera. Caryologia 1971;24:471-82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00087114.1971.10796455
Ohno S. Dispensable genes. Trends Genet 1985;1:160-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-9525(85)90070-8
Mazzini G. The Feulgen reaction: from pink-magenta to rainbow fluorescent. Eur J Histochem 2024 (in press).
Redi CA. [Limiti di quantitatività della reazione di Feulgen: analisi della interferenza esercitata dalla deistonizzazione e dai trattamenti di denaturazione e rinaturazione].[Article in Italian]. Riv Ist Norm Patol 1976;20:177-81.
Redi CA, Garagna S, Bottiroli G. Cytochemical evaluation of sperm and lymphocyte DNA content after treatment with 5 N HCl. Histochemistry 1986;84:41-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00493418
Davidson E, Hough B, Amenson S, Britten R. General interspersion of repetitive with non repetitive sequences elements in the DNA of Xenopus. J Mol Biol 1973;77:1-23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-2836(73)90359-8
Redi CA, Manfredi Romanini MG. [Su alcune caratteristiche citochimiche della cromatina negli eritrociti di Xenopus laevis Daud].[Article in Italian]. Riv Ist Norm Patol 1976;20:183-96.
Redi CA, Garagna S, Pellicciari C. Cytochemical assessment of chromatin characteristics during sperm cytodifferentiation in the mouse. Bas Appl Histochem 1982;26:279-88.
Redi CA, Garagna S, Capanna E. Nature's experiments with in situ hybridation? A hypothesis for the mechanism of Rb fusion. J Evol Biol 1990;3:133-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1420-9101.1990.3010133.x
Capanna E, Redi CA. Chromosomes and microevolutionary processes. Boll Zool 1994;61:285-94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/11250009409355897
Redi CA, Garagna S, Zuccotti M, Capanna E. Genome size: a novel genome signature in support of Afrotheria. J Mol Evol 2007;64:484-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-006-0237-1
Helgen KM. Evolution. The mammal family tree. Science 2011;334:458-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1214544
Redi CA, Capanna E. Genome size evolution: sizing mammalian genome. Cytogenet Genome Res 2012;137:97-112. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000338820
McKittrick FA. A contribution to the understanding of cockroach-termite affinities. Ann Entomol Soc Am 1965;58:18-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/58.1.18
Djernaes M, Klass KD, Eggleton P. Identifying possible sister groups of Cryptocercidae + Isoptera: a combined molecular and morphological phylogeny of Dictyoptera. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2015;84:284-303. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2014.08.019
Monti M, Redi CA, Capanna E. Genome size evaluations in cockroaches: new entries. Eur J Histochem 2022;66:3400. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/ejh.2022.3400
Monti M, Calligaro A, Behr B, Rejo Pera R, Redi CA, Wossidlo M. Functional topography of the fully grown human oocyte. Eur J Histochem 2017;61:32-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/ejh.2017.2769
Veiga M, Camia B, Diepenbrock S, Redi CA, Casasco A, Monti M. Artificial intelligence selection of viable oocytes from phase contrast images for in vitro maturation and fertilization. Biol Reprod 2023;109:386-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioad084

How to Cite

Capanna, E., & Redi, C. (2024). Giving bodies to ghosts: locating molecules in the very place where they exert their biological roles. European Journal of Histochemistry, 68(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ejh.2024.3950
Copyright (c) 2024 The Author(s) Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.