Scientists have found a way to eliminate the Y chromosome and still produce 'maleness'. In other words, men can retain fertility even without their Y chromosome.

Let's go back to Genetics class. Females have XX chromosomes while males have XY chromosomes. That is why fathers' Y chromosome is needed to have a boy, given that mothers can only give X chromosome. "The Y chromosome is a symbol of maleness," lead researcher Professor Monika Ward told a BBC reporter.

Humans have one pair of their chromosomes that act as the sex chromosomes. Scientist have recently published their discovery in the Journal Science showing that "male mice can still father babies, but they need InVitro Fertilization (IVF). The purpose of their research is to help infertile men who have damaged Y chromosome.

The team at the University of Hawaii showed that genetically modified mice with a Y chromosome consisting of just two genes would develop normally and could even have babies of their own. Prof Ward commented: "These mice are normally infertile, but we show it is possible to get live offspring when the Y chromosome is limited to just two genes by using assisted reproduction."

Here is the summary of the research: The mice could only produce rudimentary sperm. But they could have offspring with the help of an advanced form of IVF, called Round Spermatid Injection, which involves injecting genetic information from the early sperm into an egg. The resulting pups were healthy and lived a normal lifespan.

So, reproduction is still possible! Dr Allan Pacey, a senior lecturer in Andrology at the University of Sheffield, said, "The experiments are elegant and seem to show that in the mouse sperm production can be achieved when only two genes from the Y-chromosomes are present. Whilst this is of limited use in understanding human fertility, this kind of work is important if we are to unravel to complexities of how genes control fertility."

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/11/male-infertility-men-with-damaged-y.html