Bull Sperm SWATH-MS-Based Proteomics Reveals Link between High Fertility and Energy Production, Motility Structures,...

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Reproductive Biology
• Proteomics

Background:

• Predicting male fertility potential is crucial for efficient livestock breeding.
• Semen quality parameters and sperm proteome are key indicators of fertility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the differences in in vitro sperm parameters and proteome between high and low fertility bulls.
• To identify potential protein biomarkers for predicting bull fertility.

Main Methods:

• Sperm motility, viability, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and reactive oxygen species (mROS) were assessed.
• Sperm proteome was analyzed using SWATH-MS (Sequential Window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra).

Main Results:

• High fertility (HF) bulls showed significantly higher sperm motility compared to low fertility (LF) bulls.
• HF bull spermatozoa had increased abundance of proteins related to energy production (OXPHOS pathway) and sperm motility structures.
• LF bull spermatozoa showed overrepresentation of proteins involved in protein processing and catabolism, with HSP90AA1 identified as a key differentially abundant protein.

Conclusions:

• Sperm proteome analysis can differentiate between high and low fertility bulls.
• Proteins involved in energy metabolism and sperm structure are crucial for high fertility in bulls.
• Identifying specific proteins can aid in developing better methods for predicting male fertility potential.