Fertility problems affect (1 in 10) couples in Western society, making it one of the most common serious health issues. Despite this, little is known about the causes of
infertility, and thus patient counseling and treatment are suboptimal. With
infertility being such a common problem, identification of any cause would
impact on a large number of patients, allowing better counseling, clearer diagnoses and the possibility of making more informed choices (e.g. adoption vs. IVF treatment). The present invention provides methods to identify a cause of
infertility in a subject based on the
genotype of the subject, in particular, by evaluating the status of the
gene encoding FK506
binding protein-like (FKBPL). In particular, the present invention relates to use of the status of the
gene encoding FK506
binding protein-like for identification of a cause of an infertile
phenotype in a subject. Also provided, are methods method for identifying an infertile
phenotype in a subject, and identifying a cause of an infertile
phenotype in a subject. This diagnostic tool finds wide clinical utility in the identification of a cause of infertility, resultantly impacting on a large number of patients. Further aspects of the present invention relate to the targeting of FKBPL in order to temporarily and reversibly induce infertility in a subject. Such aspects of the present invention find utility in the development of a male contraceptive
pill. Moreover, due to the high degree of homology between the human and mouse FKBPL
gene, FKBPL can be targeted in order to induce infertility in mice (or other species) as a form of
pest control or
animal husbandry.