Geneticists Crack the Code of Infertility

Nearly one out of every ten couples worldwide cannot conceive a child after trying for a year, according to recent epidemiological studies. The cause remains unknown among 25% of those with infertility. Now, new genetic studies suggest that, in some cases, the culprit might, in fact, lie hidden in one’s DNA.So far, scientists have identified nearly 300 DNA mutations in men with reproductive defects. When modeled in mice, many of these mutations have a pivotal role in the development of the ovaries, testes and especially sperm. Sperm and egg development starts with meiosis, a process in which chromosomes line up before self-segregating into daughter cells. During this process, pairs of chromosomes carry out an intricate cellular choreography of migrations and alignments to effectively swap genetic information.Read more at...Nature Medicine, November 2008.