Objective: To explore the possible roles of polymorphisms of SPO11 and glutathionine S-transferase (GST) genes in idiopathic male infertility in a ethnic Han Chinese population from Henan.
Methods: Multiplex PCR and DNA sequencing were performed to determine the SPO11 c.517C>T(rs28368082) and GST genes (GSTM1, GSTT1, GSTP1) polymorphisms in 216 idiopathic male infertility cases and 198 normal samples.
Results: The frequencies of the SPO11 CC and CT genotypes were 87.5% (189/216) and 12.5% (27/216) in the patients, and 97.5% (193/198) and 2.5% (5/198) in the controls, respectively. The frequencies of SPO11 CC and CT genotypes, the A>G transition at nucleotide 313 in the exon 5 of the GSTP1 gene, and the frequencies of combined genotypes GSTM1 (-/-), GSTT1 (+/+), GSTP1 (AA) and SPO11 (CT) were significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The rs28368082 polymorphism of the SPO11 gene, the A>G transition at nucleotide 313 in the exon 5 of the GSTP1 gene, and the combined genotypes of GSTM1 (-/-), GSTT1 (+/+), GSTP1 (AA) and SPO11 (CT) may be associated with idiopathic male infertility in ethnic Han Chinese.