Y-chromosome haplogroups and Azoospermia Factor (AZF) analysis in Tunisian infertile male.

The aim of the present study was to clarify the implication of Y chromosome genetic variations and haplogroups in Tunisian infertile men. A total of 27 Y-chromosomal binary markers partial microdeletions (gr/gr, b1/b3 and b2/b3) and copy number variation of and genes in the AZFc region were analysed in 131 Tunisian infertile men with spermatogenic failure and severe reduced sperm concentrations and in 85 normospermic men as controls. Eleven different haplogroups in the overall population study (E3b2; J1J*, E1, E3b*, F, G, K, P/Q, R*, R1* and R1a1) were found.

gr/gr-DAZ2-DAZ4-CDY1b deletion is a high-risk factor for male infertility in Tunisian population.

The azoospermia factor c (AZFc) region harbors multi-copy genes that are expressed in the testis. Deletions of this region lead to reduced copy numbers of these genes. In this present study we aimed to determine the frequency of AZFc subdeletion in infertile and fertile men from Tunisia and to identify whether deletions of DAZ and CDY1 gene copies are deleterious on spermatogenesis and on semen quality.

Evaluation of the effect of c.2946+1G>T mutation on splicing in the SCN1A gene.

Mutations in the SCN1A gene have commonly been associated with a wide range of mild to severe epileptic syndromes. They generate a wide spectrum of phenotypes ranging from the relatively mild generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+) to other severe epileptic encephalopathies, including myoclonic epilepsy in infancy (SMEI), cryptogenic focal epilepsy (CFE), cryptogenic generalized epilepsy (CGE) and a distinctive subgroup termed as severe infantile multifocal epilepsy (SIMFE). The present study was undertaken to investigate the potential effects of a transition in the first nucleotide at the donor splice site of intron 15 of the SCN1A gene leading to CGES.

Deletion of CDY1b copy of Y chromosome CDY1 gene is a risk factor of male infertility in Tunisian men.

Unlabelled: The relationship between male infertility and microdeletions in the Y chromosome that remove multiple genes varies among countries and populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the different types of Chromodomain protein, Y-linked 1 (CDY1) gene deletions and their effect on male infertility and spermatogenesis in Tunisian men. A total of 241 infertile men with different spermatogenic impairments and 115 fertile men were included in this study.

Two novel mutations in COII and tRNA(His) mitochondrial genes in asthenozoospermic infertiles men.

In this study we performed a systematic sequence analysis of 7 mitochondrial genes (cytochrome oxidase I, cytochrome oxidase II, cytochrome oxidase III, adenosine triphosphate synthase6, ATP synthase8, cytochrome b and tRNA(His)) in 64 infertile men suffering from asthenospermia (n=31) in comparison to normospermic infertile men (n=33) from Tunisian population. A total of 92 nucleotide substitutions in sperm mitochondrial DNA were found; 88 of them were previously identified and reported in the human mitochondrial DNA database (www.mitomap.

Combined deletion of DAZ2 and DAZ4 copies of Y chromosome DAZ gene is associated with male infertility in Tunisian men.

The relationship between male infertility and AZFc micro-deletions that remove multiple genes of the Y chromosome varies among countries and populations. The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence and the characteristics of different Deleted in azoospermia (DAZ) gene copy deletions and their association with spermatogenic failure and male infertility in Tunisian men. 241 infertile men (30.

Identification of a novel m.9588G > a missense mutation in the mitochondrial COIII gene in asthenozoospermic Tunisian infertile men.

Purpose: Infertility affects 10-15 % of the population, of which, approximately 40 % is due to male etiology consisting primarily of low sperm count (oligozoospermia) and/or abnormal sperm motility (asthenozoospermia). It has been demonstrated that mtDNA base substitutions can greatly influence semen quality.

Methods: In the present study we performed a systematic sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase III (COIII) gene in 31 asthenozoospermic infertile men in comparaison to normozoospermic infertile men (n=33) and fertile men (n=150) from Tunisian population.

First functional analysis of a novel splicing mutation in the B3GALTL gene by an ex vivo approach in Tunisian patients with typical Peters plus syndrome.

Peters plus syndrome is a rare recessive autosomal disorder comprising ocular anterior segment dysgenesis, short stature, hand abnormalities and distinctive facial features. It was related only to mutations in the B3GALTL gene in the 13q12.3 region.

A novel m.6307A>G mutation in the mitochondrial COXI gene in asthenozoospermic infertile men.

Infertility affects 10-15% of the population, of which approximately 40% is due to male etiology and consists primarily of low sperm count (oligozoospermia) and/or abnormal sperm motility (asthenozoospermia). Recently, it has been demonstrated that mtDNA substitutions can influence semen quality. In this study, we performed a sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COXI) gene in 31 infertile men suffering from asthenozoospermia in comparison to 33 normozoospermic infertile men and 100 fertile men from the Tunisian population.

Mitochondrial DNA mutations and polymorphisms in asthenospermic infertile men.

In this study we performed a systematic sequence analysis of 6 mitochondrial genes (cytochrome oxidase I, cytochrome oxidase II, cytochrome oxidase III, adenosine triphosphate synthase6, ATP synthase8, and cytochrome b] in 66 infertile men suffering from asthenospermia (n=34) in comparison to normospermic infertile men (n=32) and fertile men (n=100) from Tunisian population. A total of 72 nucleotide substitutions in blood cells mitochondrial DNA were found; 63 of them were previously identified and reported in the human mitochondrial DNA database ( www.mitomap.

Pericentric inversion of chromosom 12 [Inv (12) (p12q12)] associated with idiopathic azoospermia in one infertile Tunisian man.

Chromosome aberrations are found in 2-7% of couples with fertility problems and pericentric inversions are structural chromosomal abnormalities, potentially associated with infertility or multiple miscarriages. In this study, we report the first case of pericentric inversion of chromosome 12 associated with non-obstructive azoospermia. A karyogram revealed pericentric inversion of chromosome 12 with breakpoints at 12p12 and 12q12.

Possible association of a novel missense mutation A6375G in the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase I gene with asthenospermia in the Tunisian population.

Cytochrome c oxidase encoded by multiple mitochondrial genes (COXI, COXII, and COXIII) and nuclear genes is an essential component of the mitochondrial respiratory chain that catalyzes the reduction of molecular oxygen by reduced cytochrome c. Subunits COXI and COXII of cytochrome c oxidase are known to play the most essential role in proton pumping and electron transfer. In this study we screened the somatic mitochondrial COXI gene of infertile men suffering from asthenospermia (n=34) in comparison to normozoospermic infertile men (n=32) and fertile men (n=100) from the Tunisian population.