P-208: Analysis of H2BFWT Gene Alterations in Severe Oligospermic and Azoospermic Infertile Men Referred to Royan Institute

Background: Telomeres play a dramatic role in sperm pronuclei formation and subsequently successful fertilization. The H2B family, member W, testis specific (H2BFWT) gene encodes a testis specific histone that colocalized with telomeric sequences and interfere in the dynamic rearrangement of telomeres at late stages of spermatogenesis. H2BFWT is essential for transmission of the telomeric chromatin through generations. This protein is also important in regulation of spermatogenesis and early chromatin remodeling at fertilization. Two recent allelic association studies on −9C>T (rs7885967) and 368A>G (rs553509) polymorphisms in H2BFWT gene among different populations suggested that genetic variations of this gene could influence the susceptibility to spermatogenesis impairment. In this study the correlation of H2BFWT gene polymorphisms with male infertility was investigated in Iranian population. Materials and Methods: To study genetic alterations of two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) loci, −9C>T and 368A>G in H2BFWT gene, genomic DNA from the peripheral blood samples of 92 infertile men suffering from azoospermia and severe oligospermia and 46 fertile men with normal semen parameters referred to Royan Institute were extracted by salting-out method. Extracted DNA amplified using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). PCR products were then digested with position specific restriction enzymes and analyzed by electrophoresis on 3% agarose gel. Results: Statistical studies indicated that the distribution frequencies of −9C>T (p=0.840) and 368A>G (p=0.864) had no significant difference between the infertile groups and control. Conclusion: These findings showed no notable association between the −9C>T and 368A>G polymorphisms of H2BFWT gene and the risk of male infertility in Iranian population. However, direct sequencing is now ongoing to get new SNPs of H2BFWT gene in this population.