Sperm Nuclear DNA abnormalities and apoptosis

Understanding the presence of nuclear DNA damage in the spermatozoa of men with poor semen parameters. Our research in this area involves examining the role apoptosis during spermatogenesis and why ejaculated spermatozoa from men with poor semen parameters show variable levels of apoptotic proteins in their sperm compared to men with normal semen parameters. We are also interested in what the consequences of using these sperm to fertilize eggs are on the developing embryo and ensuing fetus.

Figure: A putative model attempting to depict different levels of genomic organization that may be associated with specific acquired spermatozoal defects. The sperm nucleus is broken down sequentially until the raw DNA.