Mol. Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on January 23, 2007
Molecular Human Reproduction 2007 13(4):223-229; doi:10.1093/molehr/gal114
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Modifying effect of the AR gene trinucleotide repeats and SNPs in the AHR and AHRR genes on the association between persistent organohalogen pollutant exposure and human sperm Y : X ratio
1 Department of Clinical Sciences, Molecular Reproductive Medicine Research Unit 2 Fertility Centre, Scanian Andrology Centre, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden 3 Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Psychiatric Epidemiology, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
4 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of Clinical Sciences, Molecular Reproductive Medicine Research Unit, Malmö University Hospital, CRC, Building 91, Plan 10, Entrance 72, SE 205 02 Malmö, Sweden. E-mail: tarmo.tiido{at}med.lu.se
Persistent organohalogen pollutants (POPs) have been suggested to be involved in changing the proportion of ejaculated Y-bearing sperm. The androgen receptor (AR), aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and aryl hydrocarbon receptor repressor (AHRR) may modulate the effect of POPs with regard to previously observed sperm Y : X ratio changes. The objective of this study was to investigate whether sperm Y : X ratio changes in subjects exposed to 2,2'4,4'5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) and dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene (p,p'-DDE) were modified by polymorphisms in the AR, AHR and AHRR genes. Semen for analysis of Y- and X-bearing sperm by two-colour fluorescence in situ hybridization and blood for leukocyte DNA genotyping and analysis of CB-153 and p,p'-DDE concentrations were obtained from 195 Swedish fishermen. The polymorphic CAG and GGN repeats in the AR and the R554K and P185A single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the AHR and AHRR genes, respectively, were determined by direct sequencing and allele-specific PCR. The effect of p,p'-DDE was modified by CAG or GGN repeat category in relation to the proportion of Y-bearing sperm (P = 0.005 and 0.02 for CAG and GGN, respectively). Moreover, p,p'-DDE, but not CB-153, levels were associated with Y-sperm proportion in men with CAG < 22 (P < 0.001), but not in those carrying CAG 
22 (P = 0.73). This association was even more pronounced in subjects carrying a short CAG repeat in combination with an AHRR G-allele. The association in regard to p,p'-DDE was found for GGN = 23 but not for the GGN < 23 or GGN > 23 subgroups (P = 0.01, 0.44 and 0.99, respectively). In conclusion The endocrine-disrupting action of POPs, in relation to the observed changes in sperm Y : X ratio, may be modulated by the genes involved in sex steroid and dioxin-mediated pathways.
Key words: androgen receptor/aryl hydrocarbon receptor/polymorphisms/POPs/sperm Y: X ratio
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