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Graphical depiction
of XXY chromosomes.
Credit: Joe Brock
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"Scientists have created healthy offspring from genetically infertile male mice, offering a potential new approach to tackling a common genetic cause of human infertility.
Our sex is determined by the X and Y chromosomes. Usually, girls have two X chromosomes (XX) and boys have one X and one Y (XY), but approximately 1 in 500 boys are born with an extra X or Y. Having three rather than two sex chromosomes can disrupt formation of mature sperm and cause infertility.
In a new study published in Science, scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have found a way to remove the extra sex chromosome to produce fertile offspring. If the findings can be safely transferred into humans, it might eventually be possible for men with Klinefelter syndrome (XXY) or Double Y syndrome (XYY) that are infertile to have children through assisted reproduction using this technique.
The research was done in collaboration with Kyoto University and funded by the European Research Council, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
The team took small pieces of ear tissue from XXY and XYY mice, cultured them, and collected connective tissue cells known as fibroblasts. They turned the fibroblasts into stem cells and noticed that in the process, some of the cells lost the extra sex chromosome..."
Learn more: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170817141800.htm
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