scholarly journals Hypomethylation of the DAZ3 promoter in idiopathic asthenospermia: a screening tool for liquid biopsy

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shichang Zhang ◽  
Li Xu ◽  
Mengyao Yu ◽  
Jiexin Zhang

Abstract Given the role of the deleted in azoospermia gene in male infertility, whether the somatic deleted in azoospermia methylation status is associated with idiopathic asthenospermia should be determined. To investigate the methylation levels of the deleted in azoospermia promoter in peripheral white blood cells from idiopathic asthenospermia patients relative to those in normozoospermia controls, 61 ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid anticoagulant blood samples were drawn from all participants for DNA isolation. The deleted in azoospermia promoter methylation ratio was detected by MassARRAY-based methylation quantification and confirmed by quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. A MassARRAY-based methylation analysis showed that the deleted in azoospermia 3 promoter (0 to − 2 kbp) was significantly hypomethylated in peripheral white blood cells from idiopathic asthenospermia males, specifically one CpG site (− 246 to − 247). Quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction data further confirmed that the methylation level of the deleted in azoospermia 3 promoter region in idiopathic asthenospermia patients was significantly lower than that in normozoospermia males. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve determined by quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was 0.737 (95% confidence interval: 0.552 to 0.924), with a sensitivity of 53.9% and a specificity of 88.2% at a cut-off level of 74.7%. Therefore, our results suggested that methylation ratio detection of the deleted in azoospermia 3 promoter region by real-time polymerase chain reaction assay is a promising and feasible tool for liquid biopsy in the clinical laboratories. The methylation status of other reported infertility-related genes should also be investigated in peripheral white blood cells.

2013 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raluca Dumache ◽  
Sorina Popescu ◽  
Radu Minciu ◽  
Serban Negru ◽  
Maria Puiu

Summary Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) represents the second most prevalent malignancy among males, which is characterized by a high mortality rate. The aim of our study was to evaluate the methylation status of glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) in urine specimens from males with PCa and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and its usefulness in distinguishing between males with PCa and BPH by noninvasive methods. Methods: Voided urine specimens were collected from 65 patients with PCa and 45 patients with BPH. Genomic DNA was isolated and subjected to bisulfite modification. Methylation status of the GSTP1 gene was determined by conventional methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) analysis. Results: Promoter hypermethylation of the GSTP1 gene in voided urine samples was found in 63 of 65 (97%) males with PCa and in 5 of 45 (11%) males with BPH. The sensitivity and specificity of GSTP1 in discriminating between PCa and BPH males were 98% and 89%, respectively. Conclusions: Gene analysis of GSTP1 using conventional MSP in urine specimens can be used as a noninvasive biomarker to distinguish between men with malignant and benign prostatic diseases.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-72
Author(s):  
E. A. Ershova

Сalanoid copepods of the genus Pseudocalanus play an important role in the plankton communities of the Arctic and boreal seas, often dominating in numbers and constituting a significant proportion of the biomass of zooplankton. Despite their high presence and significance in the shelf plankton communities, species-specific studies of the biology of these are significantly hampered by extremely small morphological differences between them, especially at the juvenile stages, at which they are virtually indistinguishable. In this paper, we describe a new, routine and low-cost molecular method for identifying all Pseudocalanus species found in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic: the Arctic P. acuspes, P. minutus and the boreal P. moultoni and P. elongatus, and apply it to describe the relative distribution of these species in four locations of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. With this method, species-specific polymerase chain reaction (ssPCR), mass identification of individuals of any developmental stage, including nauplii, is possible. This method can serve as an excellent tool for studying the species-specific biology of this group, describing their life cycles, as well as monitoring changes in Arctic marine ecosystems under the influence of changing climate.


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