Testis articles from across Nature Portfolio

Understanding the cell-type-specific mechanisms of cellular dysfunction is necessary to develop precision medicine strategies that promote regeneration of spermatogenesis. In this Review, the authors discuss mechanisms of cellular dysfunction that have been elucidated in non-obstructive azoospermia testicular cells, in both somatic cells and germ cells, and consider how identifying modulators of cellular transcription and translation will be key for future research.

In this Expert Recommendation, the authors provide a standardized nomenclature to improve the Human Phenotype Ontology tree with regard to the classification of non-syndromic male infertility. The implications of introducing this vocabulary in promoting communication across disciplines and institutions and in discovering novel genetic causes of non-syndromic male infertility are also discussed.

In this Perspective, the author uses a comparative evolutionary approach to explain renal physiology. The kidney structure and the urinary collecting system are contextualized within the evolutionary and environmental selective pressures that might have contributed to renal evolution.

Approximately two-thirds of small, indeterminate lesions of the testes might be benign and not require radical orchidectomy. Management strategies are evolving to include vigilant active surveillance and excisional biopsy of the lesion with further management guided by histological outcome.

Much of the Y chromosome has remained obscure owing to the challenge of sequencing repetitive genomic regions. Recently, the Y chromosome has been fully sequenced, revealing extensive heterochromatic areas and 41 new protein-coding genes. Furthermore, 43 Y chromosomes have been sequenced, showing extensive multi-sample variation and providing promising insights into male infertility.

Some chemotherapeutic agents can induce distinct mutational signatures in healthy cells in patients with cancer. The effect of such mutational signatures on spermatogenesis is not fully understood but is of great clinical importance for counselling patients diagnosed with cancer planning to start a family after treatment.