Spermatogenic arrest during meiosis is a cause of infertility. The histologic picture of meiotic arrest is rather constant. Meiotic arrest is characterized by germ cells that enter meiosis and undergo the first chromosomal reduction from 4n to 2n but are then unable to proceed further. This results in tubules containing spermatocytes as the latest developmental stage of germ cells. Meiotically arrested spermatocytes accumulate in the tubules, degenerate, and are easily distinguishable from normal spermatocytes by their partially condensed chromosomes. Although the cause of infertility in patients with meiotic arrest often remains unidentified, this histologic picture can be observed in patients with nonidiopathic infertility as well, such as in the case of microdeletions of the Y chromosome, chromosomal abnormalities, and cryptorchidism, suggesting that different causal factors can result in the same effect. There is evidence that spermatogenic failure-1 (SPGF1) is caused by heterozygous mutation in the SYCP2 gene on chromosome 20q13. [From OMIM]
Spermatogenic Failure is a genetically heterogenous disorder. This disease record on CTGA also contains information on forms of this condition associated with novel genes.
