Association of TGIFLX/Y mRNA expression with azoospermia in infertile men

• Published in: Molecular reproduction and development Vol. 75; no. 12; pp. 1761 - 1766
• Main Authors: Aarabi, M., Ousati-Ashtiani, Z., Nazarian, A., Modarressi, M.H., Heidari, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.12.2008; Wiley-Liss
• Subjects: Azoospermia - metabolism; Azoospermia - pathology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - metabolism; Cell Proliferation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Regulation; homeobox genes; Homeodomain Proteins - biosynthesis; Hormone metabolism and regulation; Humans; infertility; Male; Mammalian male genital system; Repressor Proteins - biosynthesis; RNA, Messenger - biosynthesis; Spermatogonia - metabolism; Spermatogonia - pathology; Stem Cells - metabolism; Stem Cells - pathology; Testis - metabolism; Testis - pathology; TGIFLX/Y; Vertebrates: reproduction; Human; Azoospermia; Fertility; Spermatogenesis; Male; TGIFLX/Y; Gene expression; Homeobox gene; Testicle; infertility; Male genital system; homeobox genes
• ISSN: 1040-452X; 1098-2795
• DOI: 10.1002/mrd.20906

HOX genes are well‐known to encode transcriptional regulatory proteins that play essential roles in directing embryonic development. TGIFLX/Y contains two genes, TGIFLX (X‐linked) and TGIFLY (Y‐linked), which are specifically expressed in human adult testes. The function(s) of these genes in normal and abnormal development are unknown. To investigate the potential role(s) of the TGIFLX/Y gene in infertile males, a nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) was performed on testicular samples from 110 patients with nonobstructive azoospermia. Although the only 51 (46.4%) of the 110 patients had detectable levels of TGIFLY expression, none of the patients with various spermatogenesis defects showed any of the TGIFLX gene expression found in normal testes. These results suggest that the function of TGIFLX may be required for the regulation of spermatogonial stem cell specification and proliferation. While functional similarity has been demonstrated among some homeobox genes, these results may refute the suggestion of redundancy between TGIFLX and TGIFLY. Furthermore, TGIFLX might be a potential biomarker candidate for male infertility assessment. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 75: 1761–1766, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.