I am looking into sperm DNA fragmentation causes and thought that protamine levels assessment could be used to rule in/out a genetic factor contributing to high sperm DNA fragmentation
You can stain sperm nuclei using chromomycin A3 to evaluate protamine level in sperms. We have shown that it clearly correlate with DNA damage assessed using comet assay. The published paper is Alizadeh Mozdarani 2009, Reproductive BioMedicine Online;Vol 18 No 4. 479-485.
The relationship between DNA damage and direct quantitative measures of protamine levels in human sperm. Protamine concentrations (P1, P2, and total protamine) inversely correlate with the DNA fragmentation index. Additionally, patients with low P1/P2 ratios have markedly increased DNA damage. Previous studies have attempted to correlate DNA damage with indirect measurements of protamine levels using the chromomycin A3 (CMA3) fluorochrome