Male fertility is the ability of sperm to fertilize the egg and sustain embryo development. Several factors determine the fertilizing capacity of mammalian sperm, including those intrinsic to sperm and components of the seminal plasma. The present study analyzed the seminal fluid proteome of Bos taurus and potential associations between proteins and fertility scores. Mass spectrometry coupled with nano HPLC allowed the identification of 1,159 proteins in the dairy bull seminal plasma. There were 50 and 29 seminal proteins more abundant in high (HF) low fertility (LF) bulls, respectively. Based on multivariate analysis, C-type natriuretic peptide, TIMP-2, BSP5 and sulfhydryl oxidase indicated relationship with HF bulls. Clusterin, tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2, galectin-3-binding protein and 5′-nucleotidase were associated with LF bulls. Abundance of NAD(P)(+)-arginine ADP-ribosyltransferase, prosaposin and transmembrane protein 2 proteins had the highest positive correlations with fertility ranking. Quantities of vitamin D-binding protein, nucleotide exchange factor SIL1 and galectin-3-binding protein showed the highest negative correlations with fertility ranking. A fertility ranking score was calculated and the relationship with these proteins was significant (Spearman’s rho = 0.94). The present findings represent a major and novel contribution to the study of bovine seminal proteins. Indicators of fertility can be used to improve reproductive biotechnologies.

The central nervous system is responsible for an array of cognitive functions such as memory, learning, language, and attention. These processes tend to take place in distinct brain regions; yet, they need to be integrated to give rise to adaptive or meaningful behavior. Since cognitive processes result from underlying cellular and molecular changes, genomics and transcriptomics assays have been applied to human and animal models to understand such events. Nevertheless, genes and RNAs are not the end products of most biological functions. In order to gain further insights toward the understanding of brain processes, the field of proteomics has been of increasing importance in the past years. Advancements in liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) have enabled the identification and quantification of thousands of proteins with high accuracy and sensitivity, fostering a revolution in the neurosciences. Herein, we review the molecular bases of explicit memory in the hippocampus. We outline the principles of mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics, highlighting the use of this analytical tool to study memory formation. In addition, we discuss MS-based targeted approaches as the future of protein analysis.

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The protozoan Phytomonas serpens (class Kinetoplastea) is an important phytoparasite that has gained medical importance due to its similarities to Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. The present work describes the first proteome analysis of P. serpens. The parasite was separated into cytosolic and high density organelle fractions, which, together with total cell extract, were subjected to LC-MS/MS analyses. Protein identification was conducted using a comprehensive database composed of genome sequences of other related kinetoplastids. A total of 1,540 protein groups were identified among the three sample fractions. Sequences from Phytomonas sp. in the database allowed the highest number of identifications, with T. cruzi and T. brucei the human pathogens providing the greatest contribution to the identifications. Based on the proteomics data obtained, we proposed a central metabolic map of P. serpens, which includes all enzymes of the citric acid cycle. Data also revealed a new range of proteins possibly responsible for immunological cross-reactivity between P. serpens and T. cruzi.