Protein Identification of Spermatozoa and Seminal Plasma in Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

Abstract

Proteins play an important role in many reproductive functions such as sperm maturation, sperm transit in the female genital tract or sperm-oocyte interaction. However, in general, little information concerning reproductive features is available in the case of aquatic animals. The present study aims to characterize the proteome of both spermatozoa and seminal plasma of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) as a model organism for cetaceans. Ejaculate samples were obtained from two trained dolphins housed in an aquarium. Spermatozoa and seminal plasma were analyzed by means of proteomic analyses using an LC-MS/MS, and a list with the gene symbols corresponding to each protein was submitted to the DAVID database. Of the 419 proteins identified in spermatozoa and 303 in seminal plasma, 111 proteins were shared by both. Furthermore, 70 proteins were identified as involved in reproductive processes, 39 in spermatozoa, and 31 in seminal plasma. The five most abundant proteins were also identified in these samples: AKAP3, ODF2, TUBB, GSTM3, ROPN1 for spermatozoa and CST11, LTF, ALB, HSP90B1, PIGR for seminal plasma. In conclusion, this study provides the first characterization of the proteome in cetacean sperm and seminal plasma, opening the way to future research into new biomarkers, the analysis of conservation capacity or possible additional applications in the field of assisted reproductive technologies.

Research Note: Spermatozoa proteins identification in domesticated pigeons by proteomic analysis

“…For example, a research group applied LC-MS/MS method to detect proteins from spermatozoa, and identified 419 in dolphin. More intriguingly, this group found that only 42 sperm proteins were common among humans, bovines, dogs, and dolphins ( Fuentes-Albero et al, 2021 ). For birds, 822 and 494 proteins were identified in sperm samples of chicken and zebra finches, respectively ( Labas et al, 2015 ; Rowe et al, 2019 ).…”

“…The structural and functional integrity of spermatozoa is vital to male fertility. Proteins are considered major effectors of sperm function, which exert a crucial role in many reproductive functions, including sperm transport within the female tract and sperm-egg interaction ( Fuentes-Albero et al, 2021 ). Discrepancies in protein quality and quantity may cause an alteration in biological function.…”

“…For example, metabolic and antioxidant enzymes are over-represented in the spermatozoa of the most fertile male chickens, while some structural proteins are over-represented in the spermatozoa of the least fertile males ( Labas et al, 2015 ). In recent years, proteomic analysis has been applied to profile the sperm proteins present in animal, as well as to search of biomarkers of sperm quality ( Fuentes-Albero et al, 2021 ). By proteomic analysis, the sperm proteome in some avian species, including chicken ( Labas et al, 2015 ), the zebra finch ( Rowe et al, 2019 ) has been described.…”

Molecular Markers: A New Paradigm in the Prediction of Sperm Freezability

“…The protein constellation in spermatozoa and its respective compartments has been well documented using different proteomic-based techniques in a plethora of mammalian species [ 90 , 96 , 97 , 98 ]. Accordingly, differential expression patterns of certain families or types of sperm proteins following cryopreservation have been studied to estimate semen freezability [ 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 ].…”

Seminal Plasma Proteins as Biomarkers of Fertility and Semen Traits in Egyptian Barki Rams

“…Seminal plasma is a complex mixture of fluids from the testicle, epididymis, and accessory sex glands that includes components that affect sperm fertilization ability (Somashekar et al, 2015). Both the male and female reproductive characteristics of animals are significantly influenced by the complicated seminal plasma composition (Fuentes-Albero et al, 2021). In many species, seminal plasma proteins have been identified as fertility indicators (Yue et al, 2009;Kadoom et al, 2016).…”