Abstract: The present invention provides a method for predicting whether a patient having varicocele-associated infertility will have an increase in sperm in the ejaculate after varicocele repair surgery. In the method of the present invention, the present or absence of undelete forms of exons 6, 7, 8 and 9 the patient's L-VDCC ?1c transcript is detected. The presence of undeleted forms of the exons indicates that varicocele repair surgery will result in increased ejaculate, and the absence of undeleted forms of the exons indicates that varicocele repair surgery will not result in increased ejaculate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method, oligonucleotide probes and primers, and assay kits for diagnosing an individual as having hypospermatogenesis associated infertility that involves demonstrating in the individual the presence or absence of a variant form of a gene in exons 6, 7, 8 or 9 of the L-VDCC ?1c transcript.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method, oligonucleotide probes and primers, and assay kits for diagnosing an individual as having hypospermatogenesis associated infertility that involves demonstrating in the individual the presence or absence of a variant form of a gene in exons 6, 7, 8 or 9 of the L-VDCC &agr;1c transcript.

Abstract: Methods for labeling mannose lectins on the surface of mammalian sperm cells are described, and methods of categorizing and quantifying the numbers of cells exhibiting particular labeling patterns are also provided. These methods provide ways of detecting whether or not a mammalian male patient has mannose lectin-correlated infertility, which is determined on the basis of the relative numbers of sperm cells labeled with particular labeling patterns. Methods for detecting capacitation-induced changes in the distribution of mannose lectins on mammalian sperm cells are also provided, and these methods can also be used to detect whether or not a mammalian male patient has mannose lectin-correlated infertility, on the basis of the comparative relative labeling in capacitated and non-capacitated sperm cell samples. In addition, the various methods are shown to be useful for determining whether chemical compounds have effects on mammalian sperm cell surface lectin distribution or acrosomal states.

Abstract: Methods for labeling mannose lectins on the surface of mammalian sperm cells are described, and methods of categorizing and quantifying the numbers of cells exhibiting particular labeling patterns are also provided. These methods provide ways of detecting whether or not a mammalian male patient has mannose lectin-correlated infertility.