About this Research Topic
We are pleased to announce the launch of the 2.0 edition of the Special Issue entitled “Male Idiopathic Infertility: Novel Possible Targets”.
Male reproductive health has been attracting more and more attention in recent years. Numerous studies show a decline of the main sperm parameters over the last few decades, which translates into an increased prevalence of male infertility. Unfortunately, the identification of the causes of this decline remains elusive in a high percentage of cases despite a thorough diagnostic process (idiopathic forms). Therefore, the improvement of knowledge on the causes of male infertility and the development of new diagnostic strategies are necessary to address this widespread problem.
It is also worrying that often the contribution of the spermatozoon to the formation of the embryo is still considered limited to the transport of the sperm DNA inside the female gamete, neglecting the possible involvement of the transcriptome and the proteome that the male gamete carries inside the oocyte. Nowadays, a growing body of evidence points to an important role for sperm epigenetics, sperm-carried RNAs, and sperm proteome in embryo development. The widespread use of high-throughput “-omics” technologies is revealing greater complexity of the spermatozoon, which carries thousands of RNAs and proteins, than before. The overall contribution of the sperm genome (including epigenetic regulation), transcriptome, and proteome to embryo formation and development must, therefore, be studied in greater detail to better understand these mechanisms and to identify new molecular targets responsible for male infertility.
Therefore, this Special Issue aims to collect the latest findings in the field of male idiopathic infertility, including genetics of male infertility, sperm epigenetics, transcriptome, and proteome and their impact on embryo-placental growth and development.
Specifically, the Special Issue will feature Reviews and Original Articles on basic, clinical, and translational research on new molecular targets responsible for idiopathic male infertility.
Male reproductive health has been attracting more and more attention in recent years. Numerous studies show a decline of the main sperm parameters over the last few decades, which translates into an increased prevalence of male infertility. Unfortunately, the identification of the causes of this decline remains elusive in a high percentage of cases despite a thorough diagnostic process (idiopathic forms). Therefore, the improvement of knowledge on the causes of male infertility and the development of new diagnostic strategies are necessary to address this widespread problem.
It is also worrying that often the contribution of the spermatozoon to the formation of the embryo is still considered limited to the transport of the sperm DNA inside the female gamete, neglecting the possible involvement of the transcriptome and the proteome that the male gamete carries inside the oocyte. Nowadays, a growing body of evidence points to an important role for sperm epigenetics, sperm-carried RNAs, and sperm proteome in embryo development. The widespread use of high-throughput “-omics” technologies is revealing greater complexity of the spermatozoon, which carries thousands of RNAs and proteins, than before. The overall contribution of the sperm genome (including epigenetic regulation), transcriptome, and proteome to embryo formation and development must, therefore, be studied in greater detail to better understand these mechanisms and to identify new molecular targets responsible for male infertility.
Therefore, this Special Issue aims to collect the latest findings in the field of male idiopathic infertility, including genetics of male infertility, sperm epigenetics, transcriptome, and proteome and their impact on embryo-placental growth and development.
Specifically, the Special Issue will feature Reviews and Original Articles on basic, clinical, and translational research on new molecular targets responsible for idiopathic male infertility.
Keywords: Spermatogenetic failure, sperm epigenetics, sperm transcriptome, sperm proteome, embryo growth
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