A genetic mutation in mice affects cells required for sexual reproduction and holds clues about male infertility that could pave the way for new treatments and male contraceptives, a Rutgers University–New Brunswick researcher and colleagues have discovered.

Writing in Nature Communications, Devanshi Jain, an assistant professor with the Department of Genetics at the School of Arts and Sciences, addresses a fundamental question about how humans and animals develop germ cells that go on to form sperm.

Oxytocin, a hormone already known for its role in childbirth, milk release, and mother-infant bonding, may have a newfound purpose in mammalian reproduction. In times of maternal stress, the hormone can delay an embryo’s development for days to weeks after conception, a new study in rodents shows. According to the authors, the findings about so-called “diapause” may offer new insights into pregnancy and fertility issues faced by humans.