title: Assessment of Correlation between Androgen Receptor CAG Repeat Length and Infertility in Infertile Men Living in Khuzestan, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The androgen receptor (AR) gene contains a polymorphic trinucleotide repeat that encodes a polyglutamine tract in its N-terminal transactivation domain (N- TAD). We aimed to find a correlation between the length of this polymorphic tract and azoospermia or oligozoospermia in infertile men living in Khuzestan, Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this case-control study during two years till 2010, we searched for microdeletions in the Y chromosome in 84 infertile male patients with normal karyotype who lived in Khuzestan Province, Southwest of Iran. All cases (n=12) of azoospermia or oligozoospermia resulting from Y chromosome microdele- tions were excluded from our study. The number of CAG repeats in exon 1 of the AR gene was determined in 72 patients with azoospermia or oligozoospermia and in 72 fertile controls, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Microdeletions were detected in 14.3% (n=12) patients suffering severe oligozoospermia. The mean CAG repeat length was 18.99 ± 0.35 (range, 11-26) and 19.96 ± 0.54 (range, 12-25) in infertile males and controls, respectively. Also in the infertile group, the most common allele was 19 (26.38%), while in controls, it was 25 (22.22%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Y chromosome microdeletions could be one of the main reasons of male infertility living in Khuzestan Province, while there was no correlation between CAG length in AR gene with azoospermia or oligozoospermia in infertile men living in Khuzestan, Iran.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Saeid Reza
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Khatami
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Galehdari
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Abdorrahman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rasekh
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Golestan Hospital, Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Hayat
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mombeini
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Konar
keywords: Androgen Receptor; CAG Repeats; Male Infertility; Y Chromosome