Journal of Andrology
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Published-Ahead-of-Print February 7, 2007, DOI:10.2164/jandrol.106.002105

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Sperm DNA Integrity from Sperm to Egg

Dennis M Marchesi and Huai Feng *

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: hfeng{at}nshs.edu.

Infertility is a growing problem among couples trying to conceive; in the past, the female partner was singled out as the primary reason for being unable to bear a child. Research now reveals that male factor infertility may contribute in up to two thirds of all couples that seek treatment for infertility. For many years a conventional semen analysis (concentration, motility and morphology) was seen as sufficient to diagnose male infertility; however, scientific examination must now take into account two different kinds of DNA that have been proven to contribute to this diagnosis. Nuclear DNA (nDNA), contained in the head of the sperm, is responsible for packaging all of the paternal genetic information that will be needed for the fertilized egg. nDNA can be damaged or compromised via four interrelated courses: defective chromatin packaging, apoptosis, oxidative stress and genetic lesions. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is located in the midpiece of the sperm; when coupled with the tail, it is responsible for mobilizing the sperm toward the egg for fertilization. Scientists are only beginning to comprehend the relationship and interaction between these distinct DNA molecules and how they both contribute to male factor infertility.


Key words: Fertility • Infertility • Semen Analysis • Sperm • Spermatogenesis






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Copyright © 2007 by The American Society of Andrology.