Sperm News and Research

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The term sperm refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell. The human sperm cell is haploid, so that its 23 chromosomes can join the 23 chromosomes of the female egg to form a diploid cell.

Study identifies critical role of protein in sperm tail development

The group led by ICREA Research Professor Cayetano Gonzalez at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, in collaboration with Giuliano Callaini's team at the University of Siena in Italy, has published a study in The Journal of Cell Biology that identifies the critical role played by a protein called CENTROBIN in sperm tail development.

11 May 2018

Taurine deficiency in sperm linked to male infertility

Sperm are highly specialized cells adapted to achieve a single goal: fertilize an egg. Along the road to fertilization sperm must embark on a lengthy journey to the female oviduct, avoiding several fatal stresses that occur when they pass through different physiological environments.

11 May 2018

Study: Environmental pollutants affect male reproduction in many species, including humans

In the St. Lawrence River near Montreal's sewage discharge site, male spottail shiners show the effects of pollution with more than one third of the fish having oocytes in their testes.

10 May 2018

Stem cells cultured in vitro self-assemble into embryo

An embryo has been created in vitro from mouse stem cells cultured with a 3D scaffold. The resulting structure was remarkably similar to a natural mouse embryo.

3 May 2018

Advances in genetic testing give new insights to parents of children with epileptic encephalopathy

Advances in genetic testing offer new insights to parents who have a child with a rare but serious form of epilepsy, epileptic encephalopathy (EE), found in one of about every 2,000 births and characterized by developmental disabilities as well as horrible seizures.

26 Apr 2018

Scientists identify gene responsible for evolution of recombination rates

Genetics is a crapshoot. During sexual reproduction, genes from both the mother and the father mix and mingle to produce a genetic combination unique to each offspring. In most cases, the chromosomes line up properly and crossover. In some unlucky cases, however, "selfish DNA" enters the mix, causing abnormal crossovers with deletions or insertions in chromosomes, which can manifest as birth defects.

20 Apr 2018

A potential "male pill" without side effects

A new study published today in the journal PLOS ONE details how a compound called EP055 binds to sperm proteins to significantly slow the overall mobility of the sperm without affecting hormones, making EP055 a potential "male pill" without side effects.

20 Apr 2018

Study looks at sperm producing ability in testicular cancer patients

In a study of men with testicular cancer, increasing tumor size relative to testis size was linked with a reduced ability to produce sperm.

19 Apr 2018

Male fruit flies like sex and alcohol

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel have found that male fruit flies (Drosophilia melanogaster) enjoy ejaculation and sex and are also keen on alcohol consumption. The results of this novel study that shows that sexual gratification is preserved across species was published in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology this week.

19 Apr 2018

Scientists decipher mechanism of chemotherapy induced female infertility

Many chemotherapeutics act by damaging the DNA. Since cancer cells divide more often than most normal cells, they react more sensitive to DNA damaging agents.

17 Apr 2018

Painkiller use during pregnancy could affect unborn child's fertility in later life

Taking painkillers during pregnancy could affect the fertility of the unborn child in later life, research suggests.

16 Apr 2018

Researchers discover how 'junk DNA' plays key role in holding the genome together

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have determined how satellite DNA, considered to be "junk DNA," plays a crucial role in holding the genome together.

11 Apr 2018

Study provides insights into how male germ cells avoid genome instability

A group of researchers at Osaka University reported the function of GTSF1 in male germ cells. The study, which can be read in EMBO Reports, shows that GTSF1 is an essential factor for secondary piRNA biogenesis by regulating piRNA-mediated cleavage of target RNA.

28 Mar 2018

Male birth control pill taken once a day shows success

A new birth control pill for men with a hormonal component has shown efficacy and safety in preventing pregnancies when used once daily for a month. The study was presented yesterday (18th of March 2018) at the ENDO 2018, the Endocrine Society's 100th annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

19 Mar 2018

Low sperm count more prevalent with other health problems finds study

A new study shows that more and more men have a low sperm count. The team of researchers from University of Padova in Italy, presented their work this week at the ENDO 2018, the Endocrine Society's 100th annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

19 Mar 2018

Study sheds light on earliest stages in evolution of male-female sexes

A new study published in the journal Communications Biology has shed light on the earliest stages in the evolution of male-female differentiation and sex chromosomes--and found the genetic origins of the two sexes to be unexpectedly modest.

8 Mar 2018

Home-based semen analysis kit could provide rapid, cost-effective way to test male fertility

It is estimated that of the 70 million cases of infertility worldwide, almost half are caused by factors relating to the male partner. A number of semen parameters – motility, morphology, velocity, volume, concentration, and count – affect male fertility.

28 Feb 2018

Researchers identify new nanostructure inside sperm tails

Human sperms are incredibly important for our reproduction. It would therefore be easy to assume that we have detailed knowledge of their appearance. However, an international team of researchers has now identified a completely new nanostructure inside sperm tails, thanks to the use of cryo-electron tomography.

21 Feb 2018

Father's age can affect offspring lifespan, mice study shows

How does the father's age at conception affect his children? Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Disease and fellow scientists have studied this question in mice.

20 Feb 2018

Father's stress affects the brain development of offspring, mice study shows

New research in mice has found that a father's stress affects the brain development of his offspring. This stress changes the father's sperm, which can then alter the brain development of the child. This new research provides a much better understanding of the key role that fathers play in the brain development of offspring.

19 Feb 2018