Relationship between Y chromosome microdeletion and male infertility

AIM To evaluate the microdeletion of Y chromosome in infertile men with idiopathic azoospermia and oligozoospermia. METHODS 18 patients with idiopathic azoospermia, 12 with severe idiopathic oligozoospermia and 5 with idiopathic oligozoospermia were selected for analysis. 10 normal fertile males were used as the control. Multiple polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect microdeletin of Y chromosome in genomic DNA of semen, and a series of 18 sequencetagged sites (STSs) mapped within Y chromosome were selected. RESULTS Y chromosome microdeletion was observed in 2 of the 18 males with oligozoospermia, and in 3 of the 12 males with severe oligozoospermia. No such deletion was observed in 5 azoospermic males and 10 normal fertile men.The 3 patterns of microdeletion were identified. CONCLUSION Y chromosome microdeletion might be closely related to spermatogenic failure.