RNA reveals male infertility

摘要

Sperm don't just deliver DNA to the egg; they also carry a side-order of RNA. Now, Stephen Krawetz of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and his colleagues have exploited this RNA to probe the underlying causes of male infertility. Some infertile men have normal-looking sperm, making it hard to know what the problem is. Others produce sperm with physical abnormalities and other identifiable defects, but even in these cases, the molecular causes are largely unknown.