Genomic heterogeneity and instability of the AZF locus on the human Y chromosome.
TL;DR: A genetic redundancy of the multi-copy genes in AZFb and AZFc and a causative relationship between the occurrence of first microdeletions then macro deletions in the repetitive structure of Yq11 is suggested where large palindromes are probably promoting multiple gene conversions andAZF rearrangements.
About: This article is published in Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology.The article was published on 2004-09-30. It has received 88 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Azoospermia factor.
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TL;DR: The American College of Medical Genetics has developed the following professional guidelines for the interpretation and reporting of copy number variation: evaluation of constitutional copy number variants detected in the postnatal setting.
751 citations
TL;DR: A quantitative, evidence-based scoring framework is introduced; the implementation of the five-tier classification system widely used in sequence variant classification is encouraged; and “uncoupling” the evidence- based classification of a variant from its potential implications for a particular individual is recommended.
673 citations
TL;DR: The genetic causes of male infertility known to date, the genetic polymorphisms possibly associated with male infertility, and novel results of global gene expression profiling of normal human testis by microarray technology are reported.
Abstract: Male infertility represents one of the clearest examples of a complex disease with a substantial genetic basis. Numerous male mouse models, mutation screening and association studies reported over the last few years reveal the high prevalence of genetic causes of spermatogenic impairment, accounting for 10-15% of severe male infertility, including chromosomal aberrations and single gene mutations. Natural selection prevents the transmission of mutations causing infertility, but this protective mechanism may be overcome by assisted reproduction techniques. Consequently, the identification of genetic factors is important for appropriate management of the infertile couple. However, a large proportion of infertile males are diagnosed as idiopathic, reflecting poor understanding of the basic mechanisms regulating spermatogenesis and sperm function. Furthermore, the molecular mechanisms underlying spermatogenic damage in cases of genetic infertility (for example Yq microdeletions) are not known. These problems can be addressed only by large scale association studies and testicular or spermatozoal expression studies in well-defined alterations of spermatogenesis. It is conceivable that these studies will have important diagnostic and therapeutic implications in the future. This review discusses the genetic causes of male infertility known to date, the genetic polymorphisms possibly associated with male infertility, and reports novel results of global gene expression profiling of normal human testis by microarray technology.
418 citations
Cites background from "Genomic heterogeneity and instabili..."
...Therefore, AZF microdeletions can be considered as ‘pre-mutations’ for a subsequent complete loss of the Y chromosome in the AZF-deleted patients’ spermatozoa, increasing the risk of embryonic X0 cells (Vogt, 2004)....
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TL;DR: A systematic search of the nonrecombining region of the human Y chromosome (NRY) identified 12 novel genes or families, 10 with full-length complementary DNA sequences, which may account for infertility among men with Y deletions.
Abstract: A systematic search of the nonrecombining region of the human Y chromosome (NRY) identified 12 novel genes or families, 10 with full-length complementary DNA sequences. All 12 genes, and six of eight NRY genes or families previously isolated by less systematic means, fell into two classes. Genes in the first group were expressed in many organs; these housekeeping genes have X homologs that escape X inactivation. The second group, consisting of Y-chromosomal gene families expressed specifically in testes, may account for infertility among men with Y deletions. The coherence of the NRY's gene content contrasts with the apparently haphazard content of most eukaryotic chromosomes.
412 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The current estimate is that about 30 percent of men seeking help at the infertility clinic are found to have oligozoospermia or azoospermia of unknown aetiology, and there is a need to find the cause of infertility.
Abstract: Infertility is defined as a failure to conceive in a couple trying to reproduce for a period of two years without conception. Approximately 15 percent of couples are infertile, and among these couples, male factor infertility accounts for approximately 50 percent of causes. Male infertility is a multifactorial syndrome encompassing a wide variety of disorders. In more than half of infertile men, the cause of their infertility is unknown (idiopathic) and could be congenital or acquired. Infertility in men can be diagnosed initially by semen analysis. Seminograms of infertile men may reveal many abnormal conditions, which include azoospermia, oligozoospermia, t e r at ozoos p e r mi a , a s t he nozoos p e r mi a , necrospermia and pyospermia. The current estimate is that about 30 percent of men seeking help at the infertility clinic are found to have oligozoospermia or azoospermia of unknown aetiology. Therefore, there is a need to find the cause of infertility. The causes are known in less than half of these cases, out of which genetic or inherited disease and specific abnormalities in the Y chromosome are major factors. About 10–20 percent of males presenting without sperm in the ejaculate carry a deletion of the Y chromosome. This deleted region includes the Azoospermia Factor (AZF) locus, located in the Yq11, which is divided into four recurrently deleted non-overlapping subregions designated as AZFa, AZFb, AZFc and AZFd. Each of these regions may be associated with a particular testicular histology, and several candidate genes have been found within these regions. The Deleted in Azoospermia (DAZ) gene family is reported to be the most frequently deleted AZF candidate gene and is located in the AZFc region. Recently, a partial, novel Y chromosome 1.6-Mb deletion, designated “gr/gr” deletion, has been described specifically in infertile men with varying degrees of spermatogenic failure. The DAZ gene has an autosomal homologue, DAZL (DAZ-Like), on the short arm of the chromosome 3 (3p24) and it is possible that a defective autosomal DAZL may be responsible for the spermatogenic defect. The genetic complexity of the AZF locus on the long arm of the Y chromosome could be revealed only with the development of sequence tagged sites. Random attacks on the naked mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of sperm by reactive oxygen species or free radicals will inevitably cause oxidative damage or mutation to the mitochondrial genome with pathological consequences and lead to infertility in males. The key nuclear enzyme involved in the elongation and repair of mtDNA strands is DNA polymerase gamma, mapped to the long arm of chromosome 15 (15q25), and includes a CAG repeat region. Its mutation affects the adenosine triphosphate production. The introduction of molecular techniques has provided great insight into the genetics of infertility. Yet, our understanding of the genetic causes of male infertility remains limited.
328 citations
References
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TL;DR: Large and submicroscopic Yq deletions were associated with significantly increased percentages of 45,XO cells in lymphocytes and of sperm cells nullisomic for gonosomes, especially for the Y chromosome, and two isodicentric Y chromosomes, classified as normal by cytogenetic methods, were detected.
Abstract: Microdeletions of the long arm of the Y chromosome (Yq) are a common cause of male infertility. Since large structural rearrangements of the Y chromosome are commonly associated with a 45,XO/46,XY chromosomal mosaicism, we studied whether submicroscopic Yq deletions could also be associated with the development of 45,XO cell lines. We studied blood samples from 14 infertile men carrying a Yq microdeletion as revealed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 6), in which karyotype analysis demonstrated a 45,X/46,XY mosaicism, and group 2 (n = 8) with apparently a normal 46,XY karyotype. 45,XO cells were identified by fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) using X and Y centromeric probes. Lymphocytes from 11 fertile men were studied as controls. In addition, sperm cells were studied in three oligozoospermic patients in group 2. Our results showed that large and submicroscopic Yq deletions were associated with significantly increased percentages of 45,XO cells in lymphocytes and of sperm cells nullisomic for gonosomes, especially for the Y chromosome. Moreover, two isodicentric Y chromosomes, classified as normal by cytogenetic methods, were detected. Therefore, Yq microdeletions may be associated with Y chromosomal instability leading to the formation of 45,XO cell lines.
134 citations
TL;DR: It is deduced that six patients had microdeletions in interval 6 of the Y chromosome that correlated with the oligo- or azoospermia of these individuals, and PCR amplification of Y-specific regions is a powerful and very sensitive tool for screening infertile men.
Abstract: It has been proposed that interval 6 of the human Y chromosome contains the gene or genes that control spermatogenesis (AZF, azoospermia factor). We have studied this region in 33 patients with oligo-
123 citations
TL;DR: Transmission of Y chromosome microdeletions could potentially have severe clinical consequences other than male infertility, such as the development of sexual ambiguities and Turner stigmata.
115 citations
110 citations
"Genomic heterogeneity and instabili..." refers background in this paper
...…anonymous STS loci in Yq11 seemed not to exist and since single familial STS deletions were also found in fertile men (Kent-First et al., 1996; Pryor et al., 1997; Vogt, 1998) again a big question mark hung over the ability of these genomic STS deletion maps to reveal a gen le for t rst l…...
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TL;DR: Ass reproduction techniques such as in vitro fertilization and Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection alone, or in association with testicular sperm retrieval, represent an efficient therapy for these patients, however the potential of these techniques to transmit genetic defects causing male infertility raises the need for a systematic genetic screening and genetic counselling of these patients.
Abstract: Male factor infertility accounts for about half the cases of couple infertility. In more than 60% of cases the origin of reduced testicular function is unknown but they may have an unidentified genetic anomaly. Microdeletions of the long arm of the human Y chromosome are associated with spermatogenic failure and have been used to define three regions of Yq (AZFa, AZFb and AZFc) that are recurrently deleted in infertile males. Several genes have been identified within this region and have been proposed as candidates for infertility. Many of these genes encode proteins involved in post-transcriptional gene expression and therefore could participate in the sperm maturation process. About 10-15% of azoospermic and about 5-10% of severely oligozoospermic men have Yq microdeletions. The deletions are associated with a wide range of histological pictures ranging from Sertoli Cell Only Syndrome (SCOS) to spermatogenic arrest and severe hypospermatogenesis. Assisted reproduction techniques such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) alone, or in association with testicular sperm retrieval, represent an efficient therapy for these patients. However the potential of these techniques to transmit genetic defects causing male infertility raises the need for a systematic genetic screening and genetic counselling of these patients.
99 citations
"Genomic heterogeneity and instabili..." refers background in this paper
...The frequency of these AZF deletions in infertile men ranges in worldwide surveys from 5 to 20% (Vogt, 1998; Krausz and McElreavey, 1999; Krausz et al., 2003)....
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