Sperm Proteins May Reveal Cure for Male Infertility
Male infertility is little understood, but if aberrant sperm proteins can be identified, the discoveries may reveal new approaches to infertility testing and treatment, according to a paper by two researchers at San Francisco State University.
"Up to 50 percent of male-factor infertility cases in the clinic have no known cause, and therefore no direct treatment," said co-authors Diana Chu, assistant professor of biology, and Tammy Wu, a postdoctoral fellow, in a recent issue of Molecular and Cellular Proteomics.
"In-depth study of the molecular basis of infertility has great potential to inform the development of sensitive diagnostic tools and effective therapies," Chu said. "We suggest how the study of proteins is useful in the clinic, to help people move from infertile to fertile and ultimately to help couples have a baby."
In their paper, Chu and Wu analyzed a selection of recent studies that have found a correlation between male infertility and a number of the more than 2,000 proteins in each man's sperm, many of which are unique in all the body. There are slight variations in the sperm protein content of each individual man, and the scientists suspect that some of these variations cause infertility.
If so, methods can be developed to test for these specific protein abnormalities, and drugs can be developed to correct the problems. "The ultimate goal," Chu concluded, "is that a doctor could be able to say to a patient, 'This is the protein that is misregulated in your sperm, and this is the drug that corrects it or decreases the level of that protein.' Understanding sperm proteins also means that a doctor could be able to inform patients of the likely success rates of different fertility therapies, an important factor, given the high cost of fertility treatments."
The authors call for large clinical studies aimed at conclusively identifying which sperm proteins, if any, can be clearly tied to male infertility. Once this is understood, the knowledge may shed light on the causes of miscarriages, 50 percent of which have no apparent explanation.
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