Abstract
Purpose: To report two azoospermic patients with reciprocal X–autosome translocations.
Methods: Cytogenetic analysis utilizing GTG-banding and Yq microdeletions shown by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with 12 sequence-tagged site (STS) markers for Y chromosome microdeletions.
Results: Cytogenetic analysis showed one man with 46,Y,t(X;19)(q22;q13.3) and the other with 46,Y,t(X;8)(p22;q11). Neither had any Yq microdeletions shown. The patient with 46,Y, t(X;8)(p22;q11) showed a slightly lower than normal testosterone level. By NCBI-Blast search, we found four testis-specific genes, t-complex-associated-testis-expressed 1-like (TCTE1L), Ferritin, heavy polypeptide-like 17 (FTHL17), Testis expressed sequence 13A (TEX13A), and Testis expressed sequence 13B (TEX13B) located near breakpoints on X chromosome. FTHL17, TEX13A, and TEX13B are spermatogonially-expressed, germ-cell-specific genes.
Conclusion: This is the first clinical report of azoospermia with reciprocal X–autosome translocations on Xp22 and q22. These translocations on Xp22 and q22 may be direct genetic risk factors for azoospermia.
Keywords: Azoospermia, infertility, spermatogonia, translocation
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