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Essentials of Division
05 April 2016

Essentials of Division

For some men, infertility is caused by a fault in meiosis, the special kind of cell division that’s necessary for their germ cells to become functional sperm cells. However, a new technique may help to develop treatments for this condition. Scientists prompted mouse stem cells to develop into functional sperm-like cells by exposing them to a cocktail of chemicals that mimicked the environment inside the testes. Spreads of chromosomes (pictured) from the sperm-like cells were observed at different stages of meiosis – a molecule that holds chromosomes together during the early stages of meiosis is shown in pink, and one that is important for avoiding DNA damage is shown in green. With this approach the team could follow the essential progression of chromosome organisation that leads to production of healthy offspring. Fused with an egg, the sperm-like cells were able to create embryos, which developed into healthy mouse pups.

Written by Katie Panteli

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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