DAZLA: an important candidate gene in male subfertility?

Purpose: To study the role of the autosomal candidate gene DAZLA (Deleted in AZoospermia Like Autosome) in male subfertility.
Methods: We reviewed clinical data of subfertile men with oligozoospermia or azoospermia, mostly candidates for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Mutation detection was performed using polymerase chain reaction followed by single strand conformation polymorphism analysis. All shifted bands were analyzed by sequencing.
Results: We searched for mutations in 44 subfertile men. Nine subfertile men were included, because family history showed that their brothers also faced fertility problems. In these men a possible autosomal gene defect may contribute to their fertility problem. No mutations were found, except for two polymorphisms in intron 4 and 5.
Conclusion: At this moment it does not seem relevant to search for possible mutations in the DAZLA gene in clinical practice.