• PMID: 22951003
• Gene Name: CLDN11
• Condition: Impaired spermatogenesis
• Association: Associated
• Population size: 55
• Population details: 55 (5 men with obstructive azoospermia, 50 men with nonobstructive azoospermia)
• Sex: Male
• Infertility type: Male infertility
• Associated genes: claudin-11
• Other associated phenotypes: Impaired spermatogenesis

Expression pattern of testicular claudin-11 in infertile men

Chiba K, Yamaguchi K, Ando M, Miyake H, Fujisawa M.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression levels of claudin-11 mRNA and the localization of claudin-11 protein in testes of infertile men. METHODS: This study included 5 men with obstructive azoospermia and 50 men with nonobstructive azoospermia who had undergone testicular sperm extraction. Testicular tissues were obtained from these men and expression levels of claudin-11 mRNA in testicular samples were determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The localization of claudin-11 protein was analyzed by immunofluorescent staining. RESULTS: Expression levels of testicular claudin-11 mRNA in nonobstructive azoospermia men were significantly greater than in obstructive azoospermia men, whereas there was no significant difference in testicular claudin-11 mRNA expression between men with and without successful sperm retrieval by testicular sperm extraction. Based on the findings of immunofluorescent staining, expression patterns of claudin-11 protein could be divided into normal (localization to basal component of seminiferous tubules) and abnormal patterns (diffuse expression in Sertoli cells/extremely low or no expression). The proportion of nonobstructive azoospermia men with an abnormal expression pattern of claudin-11, particularly that of Sertoli cell-only syndrome men, was significantly greater than that of obstructive azoospermia men. Furthermore, claudin-11 expression showing an abnormal pattern in men without successful sperm retrieval was significantly frequent compared with those whose sperm were successfully retrieved. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that disorganization of claudin-11 expression in Sertoli cells might be one of the factors involved in the impairment of spermatogenesis. CI - Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. FAU - Chiba, Koji AU - Chiba K AD - Division of Urology, Department of Surgery Related, Faculty of Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. kchiba@med.kobe-u.ac.jp FAU - Yamaguchi, Kohei AU - Yamaguchi K FAU - Ando, Makoto AU - Ando M FAU - Miyake, Hideaki AU - Miyake H