Could analysis of testis-specific genes, as biomarkers in seminal plasma, predict presence of focal spermatogenesis in non-obstructive azoospermia?

Cell-free seminal mRNA (cfs-mRNA) exists in the human ejaculate that is proposed as a potential noninvasive procedure to prognosis pathophysiological conditions. This study applied cfs-mRNA of ESX1, ZMYND15 and its target haploid genes (TNP1 and PRM1) to identify the presence of spermatozoa in men with azoospermia. This study included 35 semen samples from 16 normozoospermic and 19 nonobstructive azoospermic individuals. Expression levels of target genes were determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction using Delta Delta Ct method. The expression level of these genes (ZMYND15, TNP1 and PRM1) was significantly decreased in semen samples of nonobstructive azoospermia compared to normozoospermia. Similarly, the expression level of TNP1 and PRM1 was significantly decreased in the sample with negative sperm (SR-) versus positive sperm retrieval (SR+). The expression level of these genes may have the potential for prediction of successful sperm retrieval with high sensitivity and specificity according to the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis.