Role of mitotic control in spermatogenesis.
OBJECTIVE
To study the correlation between the incidence of sex chromosome aneuploidies in the somatic cells and spermatozoa in karyotypically normal infertile men and fertile donors.


METHODS
A prospective, phase two, controlled study.


METHODS
A teaching Hospital Reproductive Medicine and Medical Genetics Units.


METHODS
Ten patients with idiopathic oligozoospermia and 10 sperm donors with proven fertility, all with a normal karyotype 46, XY.


METHODS
Multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of peripheral blood lymphocytes and spermatozoa using a probe cocktail containing the alpha satellite DXZ1 for the X centromere, DYZ1 for the heterochromatic region of the long arm of the Y, and cosmids D21S259, D21S341, and D21S342 for Down syndrome critical region of chromosome 21.


METHODS
The incidence of chromosome X, Y, and 21 aneuploidies in peripheral lymphocytes and spermatozoa in both groups.


RESULTS
The incidence of aneuploidies related to chromosomes X, Y, and 21 were significantly higher in peripheral lymphocytes and spermatozoa of infertile men compared with donors. There was a positive correlation between the incidence of chromosome aneuploidies in the somatic cells and sperm in all men.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings provide suggestive evidence for the importance of mitosis in spermatogenesis and the role of mitotic instability in unexplained oligozoospermia.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Liverpool Women's Hospital, Liverpool, UK. m.r.gazvani@abdn.ac.uk
M R
MR
Gazvani
E D
ED
Wilson
D H
DH
Richmond
P J
PJ
Howard
C R
CR
Kingsland
D I
DI
Lewis-Jones
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000782:Aneuploidy; D002891:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000235:genetics*; D007621:Karyotyping; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008938:Mitosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology; D014960:X Chromosome; D014998:Y Chromosome