To identify clinically significant genomic copy number (CNV) and single nucleotide variants (SNV) in males with unexplained spermatogenic failure (SPGF).
Peripheral blood DNA from 97/102 study participants diagnosed with oligozoospermia, severe oligozoospermia, or non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) was analyzed for CNVs via array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) and SNVs using whole-exome sequencing (WES).
Of the 2544 CNVs identified in individuals with SPGF, > 90% were small, ranging from 0.6 to 75 kb. Thirty, clinically relevant genomic aberrations, were detected in 28 patients (~ 29%). These included likely diagnostic CNVs in 3/41 NOA patients (~ 7%): 1 hemizygous, intragenic TEX11 deletion, 1 hemizygous DDX53 full gene deletion, and 1 homozygous, intragenic STK11 deletion. High-level mosaicism for X chromosome disomy (~ 10% 46,XY and ~ 90% 47,XXY) was also identified in 3 of 41 NOA patients who previously tested normal with conventional karyotyping. The remaining 24 CNVs detected were heterozygous, autosomal recessive carrier variants. Follow-up WES analysis confirmed 8 of 27 (30%) CNVs (X chromosome disomy excluded). WES analysis additionally identified 13 significant SNVs and/or indels in 9 patients (~ 9%) including X-linked AR, KAL1, and NR0B1 variants.
Using a combined genome-wide aCGH/WES approach, we identified pathogenic and likely pathogenic SNVs and CNVs in 15 patients (15%) with unexplained SPGF. This value equals the detection rate of conventional testing for aneuploidies and is considerably higher than the prevalence of Y chromosome microdeletions. Our results underscore the importance of comprehensive genomic analysis in emerging diagnostic testing of complex conditions like male infertility.
Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics. 2022 Jul 18 [Epub ahead of print]
J Hardy, N Pollock, T Gingrich, P Sweet, A Ramesh, J Kuong, A Basar, H Jiang, K Hwang, J Vukina, T Jaffe, M Olszewska, M Kurpisz, A N Yatsenko
Department of OBGYN and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 204 Craft Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA., Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA., Department of Urology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA., Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland., Department of OBGYN and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 204 Craft Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA. .