Tag Archives: DNA
Study may help improve IVF success
In humans, a fertilized egg is no guarantee of reproductive success. Most embryos stop developing and perish within days of fertilization, usually because they have an abnormal number of chromosomes. Now, researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and … Continue reading
Sperm are masters of DNA packing
During sperm production, an enormous amount of DNA has to be packed into a very small space without breaking anything. A central role is played by certain proteins around which the DNA thread is wrapped, called the protamines. A recent … Continue reading
Study: ‘Why is it so hard for humans to have a baby?’
New research by a scientist at the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, England, suggests that “selfish chromosomes” explain why most human embryos die very early on. The study, published in PLoS Biology, explaining why fish embryos are … Continue reading
Enzyme discovery may help treat male infertility
For the first time, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified an ADP-ribosyltransferase enzyme that is active in the mitochondria (the organelle that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power biochemical reactions in cells). ADP-ribosyltransferases … Continue reading
Breakthrough into the cause of male infertility
Scientists at Newcastle University, U.K., have identified a new genetic mechanism that can cause severe forms of male infertility. This breakthrough in understanding the underlying cause of male infertility offers hope of better treatment options for patients in the future. … Continue reading
New study ‘reassuring’ to fertility patients
A study looking into the effects on DNA in newborns conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) has added to the understanding that those children grow and develop no differently than other children. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health’s Eunice … Continue reading
Looking for mutated sperm? Go FISH
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments are known to cause harsh side effects, including their impact on fertility. Extensive evidence shows that chemotherapy and radiation treatments are genotoxic, meaning they can mutate the DNA and damage chromosomes in patients’ cancerous and noncancerous … Continue reading
Genetic mutations may be linked to infertility, early menopause
A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identifies a specific gene’s previously unknown role in fertility. When the gene is missing in fruit flies, roundworms, zebrafish and mice, the animals are infertile or lose their … Continue reading
Rate of genetic mutations could help predict fertility
Differences in the rate that genetic mutations accumulate in healthy young adults could help predict remaining lifespan in both sexes and the remaining years of fertility in women, according to University of Utah Health scientists. Their study, believed to be … Continue reading
Studies look into how DNA crossovers can drive healthy or abnormal sperm, egg cell division
In the famous words of movie character Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.” The same principle applies to human genetics. When the body forms sperm or egg cells in a … Continue reading
