Why do some men not produce sperm? Stowers scientists collaborate to uncover one underlying reason for male infertility

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Millions of couples worldwide experience infertility with half of the cases originating in men. For 10% of infertile males, little or no sperm are produced. Now, new research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, in collaboration with the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology at the University of Edinburgh, is shedding light on what may be going wrong in the process of sperm formation, leading to potential theories on possible treatments.


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Microscopy images showing normal seminiferous tubules in control testes with mature sperm (black arrow: left) but smaller empty seminiferous tubules in testes harboring a synaptonemal complex protein point mutation (black asterisk: right).
Microscopy images showing normal seminiferous tubules in control testes with mature sperm (black arrow: left) but smaller empty seminiferous tubules in testes harboring a synaptonemal complex protein point mutation (black asterisk: right).
Representative testes from 9-week-old control mice (left) and mice with a point mutation in one synaptonemal complex protein (right).
Representative testes from 9-week-old control mice (left) and mice with a point mutation in one synaptonemal complex protein (right).
Model of the synaptonemal complex in control and mutant mice. The protein the team investigated (SYCP1) forms normally, and all additional necessary proteins are recruited. In the mutant, SYCP1 localizes to the chromosome axes but does not successfully form the bridge-like structure (head-to-head interactions), and the additional proteins that help keep the bridge intact are either missing or not properly organized.
Model of the synaptonemal complex in control and mutant mice. The protein the team investigated (SYCP1) forms normally, and all additional necessary proteins are recruited. In the mutant, SYCP1 localizes to the chromosome axes but does not successfully form the bridge-like structure (head-to-head interactions), and the additional proteins that help keep the bridge intact are either missing or not properly organized.

Stowers Institute for Medical Research (PRNewsfoto/Stowers Institute for Medical Research)

Originally published at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/why-do-some-men-not-produce-sperm-stowers-scientists-collaborate-to-uncover-one-underlying-reason-for-male-infertility-301963457.html
Images courtesy of https://pixabay.com

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