Abstract
The paternal contribution to fertilization and embryogenesis is frequently overlooked as the spermatozoon is often considered to be a silent vessel whose only function is to safely deliver the paternal genome to the maternal oocyte. In this article, we hope to demonstrate that this perception is far from the truth. Typically, infertile men have been unable to conceive naturally (or through regular IVF), and therefore, a perturbation of the genetic integrity of sperm heads in infertile males has been under-considered. The advent of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) however has led to very successful treatment of male factor infertility and subsequent widespread use in IVF clinics worldwide. Until recently, little concern has been raised about the genetic quality of sperm in ICSI patients or the impact genetic aberrations could have on fertility and embryogenesis. This review highlights the importance of chromatin packaging in the sperm nucleus as essential for the establishment and maintenance of a viable pregnancy.
Highlights
There are limited diagnostic tests available to evaluate the genetic integrity of a semen sample as, traditionally, male fertility evaluation has used conventional semen parameters providing fundamental information, it has been strongly suggested that this basic evaluation has questionable clinical value [1]
The sperm cell is unique in morphology, chromatin structure, and function, and the process of spermatogenesis is characterized by a myriad of changes
Such proposed studies will identify the spatio-temporal localization of targeted genes throughout spermatogenesis and identify whether nuclear organization is perturbed in infertile men. This field remains an active area of research with possible ramifications for improved screening, diagnosis, and predictions of ART treatment efficacy. It is self-evident that the paternal genome is critical for the promotion of normal fertilization and embryogenesis and with infertility affecting approximately one in six couples of the western world and male factor contributing to around 50 % of cases, there is an unequivocal need for further research into the male gamete
Summary
There are limited diagnostic tests available to evaluate the genetic integrity of a semen sample as, traditionally, male fertility evaluation has used conventional semen parameters (concentration, motility morphology, etc.) providing fundamental information, it has been strongly suggested that this basic evaluation has questionable clinical value [1]. This review will focus on our current understanding of the genetic integrity of sperm and its impact on fertility and embryogenesis. The sperm cell is unique in morphology, chromatin structure, and function, and the process of spermatogenesis is characterized by a myriad of changes. These can be broken down into three sequential elements: (i) mitotic proliferation (producing large numbers of spermatocytes); (ii) meiotic recombination and chromosome segregation (producing genetically diverse haploid gametes); and (iii) culminates in cytodifferentiation (re-packaging of the haploid genome for delivery to the oocyte). This review addresses the impact of the unique features of the genetic integrity of sperm in a clinical setting
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