Publications | Hammoud Lab

Multi-panel schematic illustrating how protamine post-translational modifications regulate sperm chromatin organization and fertility. A bar graph (panel C) compares DNA damage across developmental stages in wild-type and mutant sperm, showing increased damage when protamine modifications are altered. Diagrams depict a normal progression from weakly bound, acetylated protamine–DNA interactions to more strongly bound, phosphorylated states that enable binding, sliding, interstrand capture, large-scale chromatin organization, and formation of heterogeneous chromatin domains, producing viable sperm. In contrast, misregulation of protamine modifications leads to incomplete protamine processing, histone retention, poor compaction, elevated DNA damage, defective sperm, and infertility.

A multi-track genomic signal plot showing data across a genomic region labeled the HOXD locus, with miR-10b marked near the right side. Four horizontal tracks are stacked vertically. From top to bottom: (1) red bars representing “Pool donors score,” (2) green vertical spikes representing “Pool donors q value (FDR),” (3) blue vertical spikes representing “D1 q value (FDR),” and (4) orange bars representing “D1 score.” The x-axis represents genomic position, while the y-axes show signal intensity or statistical significance for each track. A green oval highlights a specific region where signals increase across multiple tracks. A black rectangular box outlines a broader region of interest spanning the HOXD locus. The highlighted areas emphasize regions with elevated scores and significant q values across datasets.

An infographic summarizing a comparative single-cell RNA sequencing study of adult testes across species. At the top, silhouettes of a human (Homo sapiens), mouse (Mus musculus), and macaque (Macaca mulatta) indicate cross-species analysis. These are connected to a schematic of single-cell RNA sequencing, which branches into colored scatter plots representing distinct cell populations. The middle section shows a horizontal timeline labeled “Pseudotime Alignment & Expression Dynamics,” illustrating the alignment of gene expression changes during spermatogenesis across species. The lower section includes three overlapping circles representing integrated analyses of cell populations, alongside icons depicting somatic cell diversity and germline–somatic signaling, as well as spermatogonia subtypes and xenotransplantation experiments. A caption at the bottom reads “Conserved and Divergent Features of Spermatogenesis,” highlighting similarities and differences in spermatogenic processes across species.

Schematic overview of a study analyzing cellular heterogeneity in human fallopian tubes. Illustrations of healthy and disease-affected individuals lead to a diagram of fallopian tube tissue, highlighting diverse epithelial cell types lining the tube. Single-cell RNA sequencing and computational analyses are shown identifying distinct cell populations, transcriptional states, and developmental trajectories. The figure emphasizes comparative analysis between healthy and diseased tissues, revealing shifts in epithelial and stromal cell populations and cell type–specific signaling changes.