DAZ1/DAZ2 cluster deletion mediated by gr/gr recombination per se may not be sufficient for spermatogenesis impairment: a study of Chinese normozoospermic men.

AIM To explore the possible effect of the deleted in azoospermia (DAZ) copy cluster deletion on spermatogenesis in the Chinese population, the deletion of the azoospermia factor c (AZFc) region was analyzed in 346 normozoospermic men. METHODS Three DAZ single nucleotide variant loci and seven AZFc-specific sequence-tagged sites were examined with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism and routine PCR. RESULTS Five (1.4%) of the normozoospermic men were found to have deletion of gr/gr-DAZ1/DAZ2. None of the men were found to have b2/b4-entire DAZ deletion. CONCLUSION The presence of gr/gr-DAZ1/DAZ2 deletion in five men with normozoospermia suggests that this deletion per se may not be sufficient for spermatogenic impairment in Chinese men.