Silene latifolia is a well-studied model system for plant XY sex determination. Three maleness factors are thought to function on the Y chromosome, gynoecium suppression factor (GSF), stamen-promoting factor (SPF), and male fertility factor (MFF), and their deletions result in hermaphrodites, anther defects, and pollen defects, respectively. Although a framework map of the Y chromosome exists, ...

Using sequence-tagged sites we have performed deletion mapping of the Y chromosome in sex-reversed female patients with a Y chromosome and gonadoblastoma. The GBY gene (gonadoblastoma locus on the Y chromosome) was sublocalized to a small region near the centromere of the Y chromosome. We estimate the size of the GBY critical region to be approximately 1-2 Mb. Our analysis also indicates that c...

Background: We are convinced that better infertility treatment will only be achieved with a better under understanding of the molecular mechanisms specific to each patient. To that effect we want to indentify genes involved in male infertility. Materials and Methods: We screened cohorts of infertile men to identify the cause of their infertility. Results: Our team has identified and caracterize...

Here we describe a fetus in whom a cystic hygroma was detected by ultrasound during the second trimester. Autopsy demonstrated a female fetus with manifestations of Ullrich-Turner syndrome, including gonadal dysgenesis, generalized lymphedema, and preductal aortic coarctation. Surprisingly, the karyotype was 46,XY, with no evidence of mosaicism for a 45,X cell line. Y-DNA hybridization studies ...

BACKGROUND To compare the frequency of Y-chromosome microdeletions in Japanese and African azoospermic and oligozoospermic men and describe embryo characteristics and reproductive outcome following in vitro fertilization (IVF) with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). METHODS Our study was performed prospectively at two centers, a private IVF clinic and a university hospital. Japanese and...

The Y chromosome carries several spermatogenesis genes distributed in three regions: AZFa, AZFb and AZFc. Microdeletions in these regions have been seen in 10% of sterile males with azoospermia or oligozoospermia, the most frequent of them being characterized by a complete deletion of AZFc region. A partial AZFc deletion named gr/gr has been singled out as a risk factor for spermatogenic failur...

Ring chromosomes are rare chromosomal disorders that usually appear to occur de novo. A ring chromosome forms when due to deletion both ends of chromosome fuse with each other. Depending on the amount of chromosomal deletion, the clinical manifestations may be different. So, ring 18 syndrome is characterized by severe mental growth retardation as well as microcephaly, brain and ocular malformat...

The human Y chromosome is replete with amplicons-very large, nearly identical repeats-which render it susceptible to interstitial deletions that often cause spermatogenic failure. Here we describe a recurrent, 1.8-Mb deletion that removes half of the azoospermia factor c (AZFc) region, including 12 members of eight testis-specific gene families. We show that this "b2/b3" deletion arose at least...

The azoospermia factor c (AZFc) region in the long arm of human Y chromosome is characterized by massive palindromes. It harbors eight multi-copy gene families that are expressed exclusively or predominantly in testis. To assess systematically the role of the AZFc region and these eight gene families in spermatogenesis, we conducted a comprehensive molecular analysis (including Y chromosome hap...

Background: KDM3A is a key epigenetic regulator that is expressed in the testis and is required for packaging and condensation of sperm chromatin. To this point, the association of the KDM3A gene and infertility has not been studied in human. The aim of this study was to screen any new mutation in KDM3A gene to explore more details of human male infertility. Methods: In this work, 150 infertile...