Male infertility: polymerase chain reaction-based deletion mapping of genes on the human chromosome.

INTRODUCTION: Y chromosome microdeletions are common in about 10-15 percent of men with azoospermia or severe oligospermia. These microdeletions are too small to be detected by karyotyping. They can be easily identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Most of the microdeletions that cause azoospermia or oligospermia occur in the non-overlapping regions of the long arm of the Y chromosome. These regions, also called azoospermia factor regions (AZF), are responsible for spermatogenesis. The loci are termed AZFa, AZFb and AZFc from proximal to distal Yq. Several genes located in AZF regions for spermatogenesis is viewed as "AZF candidate genes". This study aims at PCR-based rapid analysis of Y chromosome microdeletion, which is a cause for male infertility.

METHODS: PCR amplification using Y-specific STS (sequence tagged sites) of AZF regions for AZFa: DBY and sY84, AZFb: RBM1 and sY127, and AZFc: BPY2 and sY254, were conducted.

RESULTS: Of the 30 infertile men, 17 were azoospermic and 13 were severely oligospermic. Severe oligospermia was diagnosed in those patients who produced only one-third the concentrations of the sperm of that found in fertile men. Four patients showed a deletion of one or more STS. Two patients had complete deletion of AZFc loci, three patients had complete deletion of AZFa loci and two patients had complete deletion of AZFb loci.

CONCLUSION: The frequency involving the microdeletion in the AZF region was found in four out of 30 azoospermic and severely oligospermic infertile men, i.e. 13.3 percent of the total deletions.