Repression of hspA2 messenger RNA in human testes with abnormal spermatogenesis

Objective: To evaluate the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of hspA2 in testes of infertile men with azoospermia. Design: Prospective study. Setting: Center for Reproduction and Genetics, Pundang Je-Saeng General Hospital, Dae-Jin Medical Center, Korea. Patient(s): Azoospermic patients (n = 15) undergoing testicular biopsy for pathologic evaluation were selected. Intervention(s): After pathologic evaluation, testicular biopsy specimens were subdivided into three groups: group 1, normal spermatogenesis (n = 5); group 2, spermatocyte arrest (n = 5); and group 3, Sertoli cell–only syndrome (n = 5). The levels of hspA2 mRNA expression were compared in testes of group 1, group 2, and group 3 with the use of a competitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. Main Outcome Measure(s): Comparison of hspA2 mRNA levels in testes. Result(s): On competitive RT-PCR analyses for hspA2 mRNA, significant hspA2 expression was observed in group 1, whereas a very low level of hspA2 was expressed in groups 2 and 3. Conclusion(s): This study demonstrates that hspA2 gene expression is down-regulated in human testes with abnormal spermatogenesis, which in turn suggests that the hspA2 gene might play a specific role during meiosis in human testes.