• PMID: 18384077
• Gene Name: TGIFLY
• Condition: Azoospermia, male infertility
• Association: Associated
• Population size: 110
• Population details: with nonobstructive azoospermia
• Sex: Male
• Infertility type: Male infertility
• Associated genes: TGIFLX, TGIFLY
• Other associated phenotypes: Azoospermia, male infertility

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

Aarabi M, Ousati-Ashtiani Z, Nazarian A, Modarressi MH, Heidari M.

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. CI - (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. FAU - Aarabi, M AU - Aarabi M AD - Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avesina Research Institute, Tehran, Iran. FAU - Ousati-Ashtiani, Z AU - Ousati-Ashtiani Z FAU - Nazarian, A AU - Nazarian A FAU - Modarressi, M H AU - Modarressi MH