Some men with non-obstructive azoospermia harbour fully formed spermatozoa within their testicular tissue that can be used to achieve pregnancy via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Recently, Reijo et al. (1995) provided compelling evidence that the DAZ gene cluster is a strong candidate for one of the elusive azoospermia factors (AZF) located on the long arm of the Y chromosome. The DAZ...

Transcription factors are often regarded as having two separable components: a DNA-binding domain (DBD) and a functional domain (FD), with the DBD thought to determine target gene recognition. While this holds true for DNA bindingin vitro, it appears thatin vivoFDs can also influence genomic targeting. We fused the FD from the well-characterized transcription factor Krüppel-like Factor 3 (KLF3)...

The azoospermia factor (AZF) regions consist of three genetic domains in the long arm of the human Y chromosome referred to as AZFa, AZFb and AZFc. These are of importance for male fertility since they are home to genes required for spermatogenesis. In this paper a comprehensive analysis of AZF structure and gene content will be undertaken. Particular care will be given to the molecular mechani...

To understand the impact of the northwestern Azores Current Front (NW-AzC/AzF) system on HCO3--and N2-fixation activities and unicellular diazotrophic cyanobacteria (UCYN) distribution, we combined geochemical and biological approaches from the oligotrophic surface to upper mesopelagic waters. N2-fixation was observed to sustain 45-85% of the HCO3--fixation in the picoplanktonic fraction perfor...

Abstract Objectives Recent advances in genetics are shedding light on previously unknown topics male infertility the last decade, thus gaining higher importance to these diagnostics. Meanwhile, therapeutic management become often determined by novel genetic/epigenetic findings, therefore, it is essential for practising andrologists have an adequate knowledge armamentarium. Methods To assess ind...

Introduction: Carbon dioxide emissions from non-volcanic areas are undervalued in the carbon cycle. Methods: First estimates of diffuse CO 2 flux Anninghe—Zemuhe fault (AZF), Southeastern Tibetan Plateau, China, which suggests this could equal 15% all volcanoes China. Following accumulation chamber method, was investigated at 1,483 points, and along 67 profiles crossing AZF. Results discussion:...

The highly conserved Nanos gene was found to encode a translational repressor necessary for germ-cell development in lower organisms. The mammalian homologue, Nanos2, was recently found to be expressed in the mouse germ cells. Since its disruption caused infertility exclusively in males, we sought to study the significance of this gene in human male reproduction. Here, we describe for the first...

Azoospermia factor (AZF) region microdeletions, which account for about 10-15% of patients with oligoazoospermia, seem to lack a close genotype-testicular phenotype correlation. Although many genetic and non-genetic factors may contribute to this outcome, it was thought that a spontaneous regression of testicular germ cells might also play a relevant role. The opportunity for carrying out two d...

BACKGROUND Male infertility due to severe oligozoospermia and azoospermia has been associated with a number of genetic risk factors. METHODS In this study 150 men from couples requesting ICSI were investigated for genetic abnormalities, such as constitutive chromosome abnormalities, microdeletions of the Y chromosome (AZF region) and mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance ...

Y chromosome microdeletion is the most important genetic cause of impairment of spermatogenesis. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of patients with spermatogenic failure do not have this condition. This study investigated the expression level of AZF genes, DDX3Y (DBY), RBMY1, DAZ and TSPY in testicular tissues of 42 subjects with impaired spermatogenesis compared with 33 with normal sperma...