A Western-style diet exacerbates male infertility in M1ap knockout mice.

Abstract

STUDY QUESTION: What are the individual and combined effects of a common genetic cause of human male infertility (loss of M1AP function) and a negative lifestyle factor (a Western diet) on male fertility, spermatogenesis, and sperm quality in mice? SUMMARY ANSWER: The loss of M1AP and a Western diet separately led to subfertility (a form infertility) in male mice and in combination subfertility was worsened. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Genetics and lifestyle factors individually play important roles in male infertility aetiology. How lifestyle factors influence common genetic causes of infertility are unknown. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: We generated knockout M1ap mice (M1ap-/--) and investigat..