Chromosome instability and disease

Fertility is a complex function depending on the coordinated and combined action of the male and female reproductive systems and its dysfunction is a major health issue affecting one in seven couples in the first world. In addition, these reproductive problems are being exacerbated by societal changes in modern countries because both women and men have been delaying having children.The gametogenesis is among the most complex and highly regulated differentiation programmes that make use of a unique reductional division or meiosis to give rise to highly specialized cells: the gametes. At presente,we are far from understanding the genetic basis of mammalian gametogenesis and the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathological condition, infertility. The main objective of the group is to expand our current knowledge of the “fertility loci kit” (coding and non-coding) and the mechanism by which these molecules are essential to carry out gametogenesis/reproduction.