The Y-chromosome is one of the two sex chromosomes, used to determine genotypic sex. Typically, females have two X (XX) chromosomes, while males usually have an XY pairing. Sperm may carry an X or Y chromosome. The Y-chromosome is contains the gene SRY, which triggers male development and is responsible for sperm production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Humans have two possible sex chromosomes, X and Y. Typically, biological females are born with two X chromosomes<\/a> while biological males have an X and a Y chromosome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Y chromosome accounts for nearly 2% of each cell\u2019s DNA. The 50\u201360 genes<\/a> on the Y chromosome are responsible for male development, such as the formation of the testes<\/a>, as well as for sex determination and male fertility<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since genes on the Y chromosome affect male development, changes to these genes<\/a> can impact fertility. This is particularly the case for genes in the azoospermia<\/a> factor (AZF) region of the Y chromosome, which contribute to the production and development of sperm<\/a> cells. Deletions of one or more of these genes can impair sperm production, a condition called Y-chromosome microdeletion<\/a> or Y-chromosome infertility<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Between 1 in 2,000 and 1 in 3,000<\/a> of men are affected by Y-chromosome infertility. In some cases, these men may still produce small numbers of sperm and may be able to conceive a child on their own. In other cases, sperm may potentially be retrieved from the testes and used in assisted reproductive technologies<\/a> to help with conception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other chromosomal abnormalities, such as being born with an extra X (XXY, also known as Klinefelter syndrome<\/a>), an extra Y chromosome (XYY), or both (XXYY) may also result in male infertility and other health issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers believe that a pair of matching chromosomes evolved into the X and Y chromosomes in early mammals. Chromosomes were first identified during the late 1800s<\/a>, and began to be better understood in the 1900s.How the Y chromosome affects male fertility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
History of the Y chromosome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Since then, researchers have studied gene deletions to understand the structure and function of the Y chromosome. Around the 1980s, these deletions helped them describe the Y chromosome\u2019s role in male infertility and sperm production. The Y chromosome\u2019s SRY gene, which is responsible for male development, was then identified in 1990<\/a>. Research is ongoing to better understand the Y chromosome\u2019s effect on male health and fertility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"glossary","glossary-cat":[],"class_list":["post-9419","glossary","type-glossary","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/9419"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/glossary"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/glossary"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/9419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17266,"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/9419\/revisions\/17266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"glossary-cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fglossary-cat&post=9419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}