Epigenetic: A new approach to etiology of infertility

  • Silvia W. Lestari Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta
  • Meidika D. Rizki Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta
Keywords: epigenetic alteration, epigenetic modification, female infertility, male infertility
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Abstract

Infertility is a complex disease which could be caused by male and female factors. The etiology from both factors needs further study. There are some approaches to understanding the etiology of infertility, one of them is epigenetic. Epigenetic modifications consist of DNA methylation, histone modifications, and chromatin remodelling. Male and female germinal cells undergo epigenetic modifications dynamically during differentiation into matured sperm and oocyte cells. In a male, the alteration of DNA methylation in spermatogenesis will cause oligo/asthenozoospermia. In addition, the histone methylation, acetylation, or other histone modification may lead sperm lose its ability to fertilize oocyte. Similarly, in a female, the alteration of DNA methylation and histone modification affects oogenesis, created aneuploidy in fertilized oocytes and resulted in embryonic death in the uterus. Alteration of these epigenetic modification patterns will cause infertility, both in male and female.

Author Biography

Silvia W. Lestari, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta
Departemen Biologi Kedokteran

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Published
2017-01-25
How to Cite
1.
Lestari SW, Rizki MD. Epigenetic: A new approach to etiology of infertility. Med J Indones [Internet]. 2017Jan.25 [cited 2024May3];25(4):255-62. Available from: http://mji.ui.ac.id/journal/index.php/mji/article/view/1504
Section
Review Article

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