SCREENING FOR THE HOMOZYGOUS C.144DELC MUTATION IN AURKC GENE IN ALGERIAN INFERTILE MEN

 Objective: Male infertility is a major health problem worldwide. Despite recent advances, the etiopathogenesis of spermatogenic failure remains largely uncertain. Aurora kinases, a family of serine/threonine kinases, consisting of Aurora A (AURKA), Aurora B (AURKB), and Aurora C (AURKC), are essential kinases for cell division through regulating mitosis and meiosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of c.144delC mutation in AURKC gene in infertile Algerian patients with abnormal sperm parameters.Methods: In this study, 40 infertile men with impaired spermatogenesis (Azoospermia “AZOs,”” oligoasthenoteratospermia “OATs,”” Asthenospermia “ASTs”) were recruited from Ibn Rochd clinic and Ibn Sina Laboratory, between 2008 and 2014. All men were of Algerian origin. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood. The third exon of the AURKC gene was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Then, PCR products were sequenced using the big dye V1.1 terminator cycle sequencing in forward and reverse directions, and the results of sequenced segments were analyzed.Results: Sequencing of the third exon of AURKC gene revealed the absence of c144delC mutation in all of the 40 patients screened.Conclusion: Our data indicate that the AURKC c.144delC mutation must be investigated in infertile men with Macrozoospermia.