Local scientists have disclosed the mechanism of the maturity and abnormal development of oocytes, providing new insights into the treatment of infertility.
The incidence of infertility has risen worldwide to 15 to 20 percent, which represents 60 to 80 million couples globally having fertility issues. Many couples turn to in vitro fertilization to try to conceive.
However, the reasons and mechanisms behind the abnormal development of eggs, insemination, and embryos remain unknown.
Professor Wang Lei at the Institutes of Biomedical Sciences of Fudan University believed genetics played an important part in abnormalities, and teamed with doctors from the Shanghai International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital to carry out joint research.
Experts detected the first gene causing maturity disorders in eggs and found the gene TUBB8 was responsible for 30 percent of patients with such problems. Screening for TUBB8 is now used in clinical practice.
Professor Wang Lei (left) talks with his team in the lab.
After that, experts detected another 24 genes related to human egg maturity and explained the mechanisms.
Based on their first-phase findings, experts kept looking for deeper causes of infertility. In the latest research, they disclosed the mechanisms of spindle bipolarization in human oocytes and its uniqueness compared with other mammals.
In addition to explaining the mechanism, experts also found three genes (HAUS6, KIF11 and KIF18A) whose lack can cause the failure of bipolarization, a must for egg development.
During genetic checks on patients with abnormal development of eggs and embryos, 11 patients were detected with mutations of the three genes, confirming the discovery.
“This research provides evidence for clinical diagnosis and treatment for people with reproductive disorders,” said Wang Lei, a leading scientist on the research. “We are now looking for gene-targeted therapy on this discovery.”
The research was published by the peer-reviewed journal “Science” on Friday.
Ti Gong
The research is published in top journal Science.