Genomics: Tool to predict and prevent male infertility

Abstract

A large number of human diseases arise as a result of genetic abnormalities. With the advent of improved molecular biology techniques, the genetic etiology of male infertility is increasing. The common genetic factors responsible for male infertility are chromosomal abnormalities, Yq microdeletion and cystic fibrosis. These are responsible for approximately 30 percent cases of male infertility. About 40 percent cases of male infertility are categorized as idiopathic. These cases may be associated with genetic and genomic abnormalities. During last few years more and more genes are implicated in male infertility leading to decline in prevalence of idiopathic etiology. In this review we will summarize up to date published works on genetic etiologies of male infertility including our own works. We also briefly describe reproductive technologies used to overcome male infertility, dangers of transmitting genetic disorders to offspring and ways to prevent transmission of genetic disorders during assisted reproduction. At the end we will provide our points on how genomic information can be utilized for prediction and prevention of male infertility in coming years.