frequency of follicle stimulating hormone receptor gene polymorphisms in Iranian infertile men with azoospermia

Background: Azoospermia is the medical condition of a man not having any measurable level of sperm in his semen. Follicle stimulating hormone [FSH] is a member of the glycoprotein hormone family that plays an important role in human reproduction because of its essential role in normal spermatogenesis. Various Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms [SNPs] have been reported within FSH receptor [FSHR] gene that may affect the receptor function

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between two FSHR SNPs at positions A919G, A2039G, and susceptibility to azoospermia in a group of Iranian azoospermic men. The association between FSH levels within the sera and A919G and A2039G alleles and genotypes were also investigated

Materials and Methods: This case control study was performed on 212 men with azoospermia [126 non-obstructive and 86 obstructive] and 200 healthy Iranian men. Two FSHR gene SNPs were genotyped using PCR-RFLP method. The relationship between FSH levels within the sera and A919G and A2039G alleles and genotypes were also investigated

Results: Statistical analysis indicated that at A919G position, AA genotype and A allele were more frequent in obstructive azoospermia cases compared to nonobstructive or normal men [p=0.001]. Regarding A2039G polymorphisms, no significant difference was observed between both azoospermia groups and the controls. The mean level of serum FSH was higher in the non-obstructive men compared to the obstructive patients [23.8 versus 13.8, respectively, p= 0.04]

Conclusion: The results of the present study indicated that the genetic polymorphisms in the FSHR gene might increase the susceptibility to azoospermia in Iranian men

Production of prostate-specific antigen [PSA] by a breast cancer cell line, SK-Br-3

PSA is a 33-KDa serine protease that is produced predominantly by prostate epithelium. However, it has been shown that about 30-40% of female breast tumors produce PSA and its production is associated with the presence of estrogen and progesterone receptors. We have now developed a new tissue culture system to study PSA production in breast cancer and its association with prognostic factors such as progesterone receptor and c-erbB- 2. For this purpose we investigated the ability of PSA production in five different cell lines, including two breast cancer cell lines, SK-Br-3 and MDA-MB-453. The PSA in tissue culture supernatant and cytoplasm of the Sk-Br-3 cell line was detected by western blotting and immunoperoxidase, respectively. Furthermore, we found lower expression of c-erbB-2 in Sk-Br-3 than non-PSA producer breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB453. Progesterone receptor was expressed by both PSA-positive and -negative cell lines and only the intensity of staining and the number of positive cells in SkBr-3 population was higher than MDA-MB-453. According to our findings PSA can be considered as a good prognostic factor in breast cancer and we suggest that these two cell lines are a good in vitro model to study the relationship of different breast cancer prognostic factors and their regulations

Cytokine gene polymorphism in BCG lymphadenopathy

Tumor necrosis factor-beta or lymphotoxin-alpha [LT-alpha], IL-4 and IL-10 are determining factors in immunity against BCG. Allelic polymorphisms in the regulatory regions of their genes affect the rate of cytokine production and therefore, the host's ability in BCG containment. To study the prevalence of -590 [C/T] and -592 [C/A] allelic distribution of IL-4 and IL-10 promoter regions, respectively, and +282 [G/A] polymorphism in the first intron of LT-alpha in BCG vaccinees with lymphadenopathy comparing to those of controls. Polymorphisms in the promoter region of IL-4 and IL-10 were determined by primer induced restriction site PCR and the polymorphism in the first intron of LT-alpha was investigated using PCR-RFLP method. Forty patients with BCG adenitis and 42 healthy age-matched infants without reactions were included in this study. No significant differences existed between allele and genotype frequencies of IL-4 or LT-alpha genes from patients as compared to the controls. A significant difference in genotype distribution of the IL-10 -592 C-to-T polymorphism was observed between patients and controls [p<0.05]. In this respect, the AA and AC genotypes with lower ability in IL-10 production were found more frequently in the control group. The lower frequency of AA genotype at position -592 of IL-10 promoter region in patients may have resulted in more IL- 10 production leading to weaker immune response that allows bacterial burden and occurrence of lymphadenitis

Expression and prognostic significance of c-erbB-2 molecules in patients with breast cancer in Iran

Epidermal growth factor receptors [EGFRs] are a group of molecules with structural and functional similarities, which are expressed in some breast cancers. In the present investigation, the presence of two members of the EGFR family namely c-erbB-1 and c-erbB-2 was assessed as a prognostic indicator in a series of breast tumors. To study the over-expression of c-erbB-1 and c-erbB-2 in a series of primary breast cancer as a prognostic factor. A series of 100 patients with primary operable breast cancers were investigated for expression of EGFRs in their tumors by immunocytochemical staining with the monoclonal antibodies against erbB-1 and erbB-2 molecules. An indirect immunoperoxidase method was used for determination of these receptors in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded breast carcinoma tissues. This technique was also used to investigate the expression of c-erbB-1 and 2 in 23 out of the 100 fresh frozen tissues of breast carcinoma. Our results indicate that 20 [20%] and 41 [41%] tumors showed positive immunoreactivity with erbB-1 and erbB-2 monoclonal antibodies, respectively. Results also indicated that in 100% of cases the pattern of immunoreactivity in fresh tissues were comparable with those of the formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissues. Strong correlation between distinct c-erbB-2 expression and short disease-free interval was observed but no significant association was found with c-erbB-1. The results show that the c-erbB-2 receptor status may be a useful prognostic marker in breast cancer