Sperm Proteomics: Road to Male Fertility and Contraception

Abstract

Spermatozoa are highly specialized cells that can be easily obtained and purified. Mature spermatozoa are transcriptionally and translationally inactive and incapable of protein synthesis. In addition, spermatozoa contain relatively higher amounts of membrane proteins compared to other cells; therefore, they are very suitable for proteomic studies. Recently, the application of proteomic approaches such as the two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and differential in-gel electrophoresis has identified several sperm-specific proteins. These findings have provided a further understanding of protein functions involved in different sperm processes as well as of the differentiation of normal state from an abnormal one. In addition, studies on the sperm proteome have demonstrated the importance of spermatozoal posttranslational modifications and their ability to induce physiological changes responsible for fertilization. Large-scale proteomic studies to identify hundreds to thousands of sperm proteins will ultimately result in the development of novel biomarkers that may help to detect fertility, the state of complete contraception, and beyond. Eventually, these protein biomarkers will allow for a better diagnosis of sperm dysfunctions and aid in drug development. This paper reviews the recent scientific publications available from the PubMed database to address sperm proteomics and its potential application to characterize male fertility and contraception.

Sodium nitroprusside suppresses male fertility in vitro

“…In fact, mammalian spermatozoa are unable to fertilize an oocyte before achieving functional maturation, which includes motility, hyperactivation, capacitation, and the acrosome reaction (AR) (Rahman et al, 2014). Sperm motility and hyperactivation are considered important factors in successful pregnancies as only hyperactivated motile spermatozoa are able to fertilize oocytes (Suarez, 2008;Rahman et al, 2013). Therefore, measuring the fraction of spermatozoa in a population that is motile is one of the most extensively used measures of semen quality (Park et al, 2012), and inadequate sperm motility is a common cause of subfertility or infertility (Suarez, 2008).…”

Boar sperm quality in relation to presence of sp32-like protein in spermatozoa - preliminary studies

“…Sperm plasma membrane proteomes also play an important role by transporting spermatozoa through the female genital tract and binding spermatozoa to oolemma (21). It is generally believed that the identification of sperm proteins can expand our knowledge of regulatory mechanisms responsible for male fertility and infertility (23). Current research indicates that sperm proteomes differ between individuals and their composition is putatively associated with semen quality.…”

“…The transcriptomes and proteomes of boar testes and epididymides have not yet been fully studied, and the existing studies focus on the identification and characteristics of spermatozoa proteins (12). The sperm proteome contains everything a spermatozoon needs to survive and function correctly (23). Previous studies demonstrated numerous relations between the presence of selected proteins and sperm maturity (6), and between protein phosphorylation and the capacitation state of boar spermatozoa (11,16,20).…”

“…To date, several sperm-specific proteins have been identified with the involvement of proteomic approaches, such as two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and differential in-gel electrophoresis (23). For this reason, the main aim of this study was to analyse sperm proteomes derived from Polish Large White (PLW) and Polish Landrace (PL) boars, and to identify differences which putatively influence semen quality.…”

Avaliações seminais e novas ferramentas genômicas na estimação da fertilidade em touros

“…O rápido desenvolvimento das tecnologias de ensaio rna que incluem rna-seq tem detalhado a presença específica de uma ampla variedade de transcritos dos espermatozoides. Essas transcrições não somente parecem refletir o curso passado da espermatogênese, mas também incluir fatores críticos para a fertilização bem-sucedida e o desenvolvimento embrionário [91].…”