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Relationship between absence of annulus and asthenozoospermia in Iranian men

  • Gamete Biology
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To find a relationship between absence of annulus and asthenozoospermia in Iranian men.

Methods

In the present study, semen samples from 100 asthenozoospermic and 20 normozospermic patients were analyzed for sperm concentration and motility. Spermatozoa were immunostained for the two septin subunits Sept4 and Sept7. The absence of the annulus structure was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and western blot analysis for septin 4. DNA sequencing for all coding exons of SEPT12 was performed for a patient using peripheral blood sample.

Results

Specific antibodies for SEPT4 and SEPT7 consistently labeled the annuli in spermatozoa from all of the 20 normozospermic men, while in one of 100 patients with asthenozoospermia, 75 % of sperms lacking septin 4 or septin 7 proteins at the annulus. It was shown that the structural defect in annulus formation is not caused by point mutation of SEPT12 gene.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrated that the frequency of the absence of annulus in asthenozoospermic sample of Iranian population has a low frequency and could not be assume as a diagnostic marker for classifying asthenozoospermic patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Andrology at Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran

    Hani Hosseinifar, Maryam Shafipour, Tahereh Modarresi, Mohammad Ali Sadighi Gilani & Marjan Sabbaghian

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Shafipour & Mahnaz Azad

  3. Department of Genetics at Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran

    Mahnaz Azad & Maryam Shahhosseini

  4. Department of Urology, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Ali Sadighi Gilani

Authors
  1. Hani Hosseinifar
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  2. Maryam Shafipour
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  3. Tahereh Modarresi
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  4. Mahnaz Azad
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  5. Mohammad Ali Sadighi Gilani
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  6. Maryam Shahhosseini
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  7. Marjan Sabbaghian
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marjan Sabbaghian.

Additional information

Capsule Absence of annulus has been reported in some of asthenozoospermic patients but its frequency in Iranian infertile men is low.

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Hosseinifar, H., Shafipour, M., Modarresi, T. et al. Relationship between absence of annulus and asthenozoospermia in Iranian men. J Assist Reprod Genet 31, 1681–1685 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0353-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0353-6

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