As per a recent US research, just one gene may be pertinent for the end stage of sperm cell production in men, which explains why some of them are infertile. Experiments carried out on mice showed that the ones that lacked the gene witnessed a crucially lower sperm count and were infertile. Moreover, whatever few sperms the mice produced showed major defects. A member from the research team explained that since this gene has a particular effect on the development of functional sperm, it held ample potential as bait for new infertility treatments.
The research work focused crucially on the final step of sperm cell formation called spermiogenesis. At this particular stage, the DNA is packed into a tight ball at the head of the sperm ensuring that it can successfully enter an egg. For this study, it is learnt that the research team specially bred mice that lacked the gene for experimentation. A research team member stated how this gene plays a significant role in controlling key genes that are involved in compacting the DNA. However, the researchers also stated that more work was still needed to be done before making the final conclusion.
