Association of PRMT6, PEX10 and SOX5 genetic variants with idiopathic male infertility: Evidence from North Macedonian population and an updated meta-analysis

Abstract

PRMT6, PEX10 and SOX5 genetic variants were identified as male infertility-associated loci in a genome-wide association study and further validated in various populations. Still, the results of previous case-control studies varied, which could be due to differences in participants’ ethnic backgrounds. The main purpose of the present study was to evaluate the supposed association of these variants with idiopathic male infertility in North Macedonian population. Furthermore, we aimed to conduct the systematic quantitative data synthesis which includes the results of previous studies on the same issue in other European and non-European populations. A total of 137 men from North Macedonia diagnosed with idiopathic infertility and 130 age-matched fertile controls were included in the present case-control study. PCR-RFLP method was used for genotyping. Meta-analysis was performed by OpenMeta-analyst statistical software. Variants rs10842262 in SOX5, rs2477686 in PEX10 and rs12097821 in PRMT6 showed the lack of statistically significant differences in genotype distributions between men diagnosed with idiopathic infertility and the control group. Still, rs10842262 allele G frequency was significantly increased in men with poor sperm concentration (P= 0.024, OR = 2.10, 95%CI 1.08–4.06). Meta-analysis further showed the association of rs10842262 and rs12097821 with the risk of idiopathic male infertility. Our results obtained in North Macedonian population supported the previous reports on the involvement of rs10842262 in the genetic basis of male infertility. The meta-analysis confirmed the association of rs10842262 and rs12097821 with male infertility occurrence. Still, additional studies are needed to support the present findings.