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Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Fluorimetric Techniques for the Assessment of Sperm Membranes
Published on: November 28, 2018
Peripubertal serum dioxin concentrations and subsequent sperm methylome profiles of young Russian adults
J Richard Pilsner1, Alex Shershebnev1, Yulia A Medvedeva2
1Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, 686 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
Background:
The association of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals in the peripubertal period with subsequent sperm DNA methylation is unknown.
Objective:
We examined the association of peripubertal serum 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) concentrations with whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) of sperm collected in young adulthood.
Methods:
The Russian Children's Study is a prospective cohort of 516 boys who were enrolled at 8-9 years of age and provided semen samples at 18-19 years of age. WGBS of sperm was conducted to identify differentially methylated regions (DMR) between highest (n = 4) and lowest (n = 4) peripubertal TCDD groups.
Results:
We found 52 DMRs that distinguished lowest and highest peripubertal serum TCDD concentrations. One of the top scoring networks, "Cellular Assembly and Organization, Cellular Function and Maintenance, Carbohydrate Metabolism", identified estrogen receptor alpha as its central regulator.
Conclusion:
Findings from our limited sample size suggest that peripubertal environmental exposures are associated with sperm DNA methylation in young adults.
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