Younes Aftabi - Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences,University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Mazandaran, Iran
Abasalt Hosseinzadeh Colagar - Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences,University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Mazandaran, Iran
Faramarz Mehrnejad - Department of Life Science Engineering, Faculty of New Sciences & Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

The bHLH transcription factors form a conserved gene family in eukaryotes and play a crucial role in differentiation, development, and signaling. Some members of this family are highly expressed in the mammalian reproductive system and control its molecular events. Then, their malfunction could lead to inefficiency of reproduction and infertility. However, exact knowledge about the importance level of these genes in infertility could be helpful for idea development and prevents devoting sources to non-priority studies. For this purpose, bioinformatics approaches provide beneficial opportunities. Gene prioritization is an algorithm, which works on the base of molecular data and identifies the most promising associated genes with a biologic event or disease among candidates. In the present research, 110 members of the human bHLH gene family (Candidates) and four sets of male infertility associated genes (Training) were deduced from the databases. Then, using gene prioritization servers: ToppNet, ToppGene, pBRIT and Endeavour, 20 sets of priority levels were produced. Finally, ranking analysis revealed that NCOA1, NCOA3,NCOA2, HIF1A, TCF3, MYC, AHR, and ARNT are the most prioritized members of bHLH genes in association with male infertility.

Transcription factors, bHLH, Infertility, Gene prioritization