JERUSALEM, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers on Monday said they have developed a method to predict the fertility potential of sperm with a simple functional test.
During mammalian fertilization, the sex cells attach via an interaction between the IZUMO1 protein on the sperm and the JUNO protein on the egg.
In previous studies, a research team from the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) found IZUMO1, besides its role in the attachment of the sperm and the egg, also functions as a fusion protein without the presence of its female counterpart JUNO.
In the new study, the Technion team exposed mouse sperm to hamster fibroblast cells or human epithelial cells and found they fused, forming a syncytia structure, a cellular structure observed in some virus infections.
They then developed a cell culture to predict the fertility potential of a sperm sample. When a sperm sample with fertilization potential is added to the culture, the sperm causes fusion between the cells and themselves. When the sperm is abnormal, fusion does not occur.
The team noted that this fusion relies on the sperm's ability to fuse, making it a reliable, quick, and simple method to assess sperm function in diagnosing male infertility.
The researchers have published their findings in the journal eLife and registered a patent for the test, which they believe may revolutionize male fertility testing and the development of new contraceptives.
