Post-meiotic gene products as targets for male contraception

Post-meiotic stages of male germ cell maturation represent an interesting target system for the development of novel male contraceptive agents. In the human, these stages represent a period of only about 16 days differentiation, and thus targeting these cells would represent a contraceptive approach with a relatively rapid onset and equivalent recovery. Results from the Human Genome Project suggest that these cells also express a high number of very specific transcripts, though whether all of these are functional and/or essential for sperm differentiation and function requires more research. Until recently, however, these haploid stages were relatively inaccessible to molecular research because of the lack of appropriate model systems and methods. This situation has recently improved, with several new techniques involving manipulation of primary cells and seminiferous tubules, germ cell transplantation and the development of new immortalized cell-lines. Also, new biochemical approaches are yielding more information about haploid-specific transcription factors, such as GCNF. It is therefore to be expected that soon several new targets for a potential post-meiotic male contraceptive will become available for pharmaceutical development.