Open AccessCan mitochondrial DNA mutations cause sperm dysfunction?
Author(s) -
John Spiropoulos
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
molecular human reproduction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.143
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1460-2407
pISSN - 1360-9947
DOI - 10.1093/molehr/8.8.719
Subject(s) - biology , mitochondrial dna , sperm , sperm motility , semen , genetics , mutant , somatic cell , male infertility , mutation , motility , andrology , infertility , mitochondrion , gene , pregnancy , medicine
Very low levels of somatic mitochondrial (mt)DNA deletions have been identified in the semen of infertile men. It has been suggested that these mutations cause infertility through an effect on sperm motility, but there has been no direct evidence to show that mutant mtDNA can affect sperm function. We have carried out semen analysis on a male harbouring the A3243G mtDNA mutation and show that high levels of mutant mtDNA strongly correlate with low sperm motility.
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