Relationship between expansion of the CAG repeat in exon 1 of the androgen receptor gene and idiopathic male infertility.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether expansion of CAG repeats in exon 1 of the androgen receptor is correlated with impaired spermatogenesis in patients with male idiopathic infertility.


METHODS
A retrospective study.


METHODS
Medical school in Besançon, France.


METHODS
Thirty-seven infertile patients with azoospermia or oligospermia and 50 fertile controls.


METHODS
History, physical, hormonal assays, semen analysis, and collection of blood samples in order to study the androgen receptor's gene.


METHODS
Blood samples were collected from each infertile patient and control. The length of the CAG repeat segment was evaluated by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) electrophoresis in exon 1 and PCR single-strand conformation polymorphism in exons 2-8.


RESULTS
The mean length of the CAG repeats was significantly different between infertile and fertile patients (23.91 +/- 0.5 vs. 22.20 +/- 0.4). No mutation was detected in exons 2-8 of the androgen receptor gene in infertile patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Expansion of the CAG repeat segment of the androgen receptor is correlated with male idiopathic infertility. The number of CAG repeats may therefore have a modulatory effect on normal androgen receptor function.
Wallerand
H
H
Service d'Urologie-Andrologie, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire Saint-Jacques, Besançon, France. hwallerand@caramail.com
Rémy-Martin
A
A
Chabannes
E
E
Bermont
L
L
Adessi
G L
GL
Bittard
H
H
D000328:Adult; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics*; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018911:Trinucleotide Repeats
D011944:Receptors, Androgen