{
  "id": 6629735,
  "title": "Complementary roles of human protamine 1 and spermine in giant DNA compaction",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/complementary-roles-of-human-protamine-1-and-spermine-in-giant-dna",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-10T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.06.749741v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "During sperm maturation, two proteins - human protamine 1 (PRM1) and spermine (SPM) - collaborate to compact the paternal genome, creating a giant DNA structure. PRM1 replaces histones in the process, while SPM is a naturally occurring compound found in seminal fluid that also induces DNA compaction. However, the precise manner in which these two proteins work together to further the DNA compaction process has remained unclear. To investigate this, researchers employed single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to study the effects of PRM1 and SPM on DNA conformation. PRM1 alone caused a gradual transformation from a coil to a globule, with intermediate stages, while SPM induced a more sudden coil-to-globule transition. Importantly, when PRM1 and SPM were present in low concentrations together, the presence of SPM resulted in a more efficient progression along PRM1's continuous folding pathway, leading ultimately to a fully compact globule state. These findings, supported by quantitative analysis, reveal that PRM1 and SPM each play distinct yet cooperative roles in the compaction of giant DNA during sperm maturation, offering new insights into the underlying mechanics of genome compaction in this critical biological process.",
  "summary": "During sperm maturation, protamines progressively replace histones and compact the paternal genome. Spermine (SPM), a naturally occurring tetravalent polyamine that induces DNA compaction, is also abundant in seminal fluid. However, how SPM and protamines jointly influence higher-order structural transitions of giant DNA remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the cooperative effects of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}