Association study of six SNPs in PRM1, PRM2 and TNP2 genes in iranian infertile men with idiopathic azoospermia

BACKGROUND Histones are replaced by protamines to condensate and package DNA into the sperm head during mammalian spermatogenesis. Protamine genes defects have been reported to cause sperm DNA damage and male infertility. OBJECTIVE In this study relationship among some protamines genes family SNPs include PRM1 (C321A), PRM2 (C248T) and TNP2 (T1019C), (G1272C), (G del in 1036 and 1046 bp) were studied in 96 idiopathic infertile men with azoospermia or oligospermia and 100 normal control men. MATERIALS AND METHODS Analysis of SNPs was performed using restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), single strand conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and PCR sequencing. RESULTS No polymorphisms were found for tested SNPs except for PRM1 (C321A) and TNP2 (G1272C) in which frequency of altered AA and GG genotypes were slightly higher in infertile case group. Statistical analysis showed no significant association related to PRM1 (C321A) p=0.805 and TNP2 (G1272C) loci p=0.654. CONCLUSION These results are consistent with previous studies and indicating that all tested SNPs was not associated with oligospermia and azospermia and idiopatic male infertility in Iranian population.