Genetic Variation of Choline Dehydrogenase Gene in Idiopathic Male Infertility

Infertility can be caused by an unexplained reduction in semen quality in males who present asnormal on physical examination and endocrine testing. There is some evidence that aberrantmetabolism of micronutrients such as choline may play a causative role in male factorinfertility. Choline is a crucial factor in the regulation of sperm membrane structure andmotility, and this nutrient plays an important role in the maturing and fertilizing capacity ofspermatozoa. In the present study, we explored the contribution of the choline dehydrogenasegene polymorphism located in the codon 78 (CHDH +432G>T), one of the basic enzymes ofcholine metabolism, to idiopathic male infertility. In this study, 50 infertile men and 50 fertilemen of the Guilan population were selected. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheralblood. Genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restrictionfragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Statistical analysis was performed using MedCalcsoftware (v12.1.4.0). A significant difference was observed between patients and healthysubjects in the distribution of G and T alleles. The prevalence of genotype frequencies ofCHDH +432 GG, GT, and TT were 28%, 50%, and 22%, respectively, in patients, while inhealthy subjects they were 52%, 36%, and 12%, respectively. In other words, there was asignificant difference in the genotype distribution of CHDH +432G>T in patients comparedwith controls (Ρ<0.05). This finding suggests a possible influence of this gene polymorphism onidiopathic male infertility.