DAZLA: An important candidate gene in male subfertility?

Purpose: To study the role of the autosomal candidate gene DAZLA (Deleted i n A Zoospermia Like Autosome) in male subfertility. Methods: We reviewed clinical data of subfertile men with oligozoospermia o r azoospermia, mostly candidates for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI ). Mutation detection was performed using polymerase chain reaction followe d by single strand conformation polymorphism analysis. All shifted bands we re analyzed by sequencing. Results: We searched for mutations in 44 subfertile men. Nine subfertile me n were included, because family history showed that their brothers also fac ed fertility problems. In these men a possible autosomal gene defect may co ntribute to their fertility problem. No mutations were found, except for tw o polymorphisms in intron 4 and 5. Conclusion: At this moment it does not seem relevant to search for possible mutations in the DAZLA gene in clinical practice.