Under our conditions, our study does not confirm any relationship between the polymorphic CAG repeat in the POLG gene and male infertility.

Serum and follicular fluid zinc concentrations were investigated in patients undergoing assisted reproductive treatment. No correlation was found between zinc and oestradiol concentrations in serum. At the time of oocyte retrieval, zinc concentrations in follicular fluid were significantly lower than serum concentrations (P<0.0001). The expression of the two families of zinc transporters, ZnT and ZiP, as well as the metal regulatory transcription factors, MTF1 and 2, and metallothioneins, which are both involved in regulatory aspects of zinc transport, was assayed in cumulus cells and in germinal-vesicle oocytes. Most of the zinc transporters, metallothioneins and metal regulatory transcription factor are expressed in oocytes and not in cumulus cells. This may indicate an important role for zinc, in particular with potential linking to genome stability during early embryonic development. In contrast, cumulus cells seem to be at the end of their life's journey, with weak expression of transcriptional activity linked to cellular housekeeping.

Use of this simplified ubiquitin-based sperm quality assay is feasible in a clinical environment. Since the gradient separation does not completely deplete the defective spermatozoa, the modified light microscopic sperm ubiquitin tag immunoassay could add a new level of stringency to the selection of human spermatozoa for ICSI.

No abstract