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Chapter 15 - Genetic aspects of infertility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2010

By
Robert D. Oates  and
Dolores J. Lamb
Edited by
Larry I. Lipshultz ,
Stuart S. Howards  and
Craig S. Niederberger
Larry I. Lipshultz
Affiliation:
Baylor College of Medicine
Stuart S. Howards
Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Craig S. Niederberger
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Chicago
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Summary

This chapter focuses on the genetic basis of male infertility. The male specific Y (MSY) is a chromosomal material that bridges the two polar pseudoautosomal regions and is unique in the human genome. A karyotype and Y-chromosomal microdeletion assay should be obtained as complementary tests in all non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) and severely oligospermic men prior to intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and the use of testicular sperm. Prognosis and planning are optimized with any informative result. Steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein is the rate-limiting step for androgen biosynthesis in particular and all steroids in general. The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis controls human sexual maturation and spermatogenesis. The hypothalamus secretes gonadotropin- releasing hormone (GnRH) which regulates the production of Folliclestimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) by the pituitary gonadotropes. Kallmann syndrome results from the failure of the GnRH-releasing neurons to migrate to the olfactory lobe during development.

Keywords

azoospermiaG-group chromosomesgerm cellsY chromosomeX chromosomestem cellsinfertile menspermatogenesis
Type
Chapter
Information
Infertility in the Male , pp. 251 - 276
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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