Male fertility markers, myth or reality

For the past many years my laboratory has been interested in the function of the epididymis in sperm maturation which allows the male gamete to acquire its fertilizing ability. Our work has focused on proteins secreted by the epididymis and the mechanisms by which these proteins are added to the sperm surface. We have focused on sperm proteins involved in the binding to the egg's extra cellular coat-the zona pellucida. For this purpose, we have used different animal models as well as humans. We have proposed that some epididymal sperm proteins can be used as marker of male fertility in humans and animals. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.