1
|
Schmaltz L, Prudhomme T, Tsikis G, Reynaud K, Mérour I, Mermillod P, Saint-Dizier M. Sperm binding to oviduct epithelial spheroids varies among males and ejaculates but not among females in pigs. Theriogenology 2024; 219:116-125. [PMID: 38428333 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2024.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
The elimination of ejaculates and males with low fertility despite good sperm motility and morphology is crucial to maintain high pregnancy rates after artificial insemination (AI) in farm animals. The ability of sperm to survive in the female tract is particularly crucial in pigs due to the large variation in the timing between AI and ovulation and the high number of oocytes to fertilise. The objective of this study was to characterise a new in vitro model of oviduct sperm reservoir using porcine oviduct epithelial spheroids (OES) and to assess the variability in sperm binding to OES among gilts, boars and their ejaculates. Isthmic mucosa fragments were collected from gilt oviducts at a slaughterhouse, and after 48 h of culture, the OES that had spontaneously formed were sorted according to their vesicle shape and size (150-200 μm in diameter) for characterisation and sperm binding assays. The OES contained viable, cytokeratin-positive and vimentin-negative cells, of which 36.4 ± 2.0% were multiciliated. The average proportion of multiciliated cells per OES did not change among culture replicates. After co-incubation with boar fresh semen, only sperm of normal morphology were found to bind, by their head, to cilia of OES. The density of sperm bound to the OES surface increased linearly with sperm concentration. The bound sperm density on OES was used to assess the binding capacity of fresh ejaculates collected from Pietrain boars. For a given ejaculate, the bound sperm density did not vary among pools of OES female donors. The analysis of five successive ejaculates from nine boars indicated significant differences in bound sperm densities on the OES among individual boars and their ejaculates (P < 0.01). There was no correlation between the sperm bound density and sperm parameters measured by computer-assisted sperm analysis or the initial dilution of the ejaculate. In conclusion, the OES characterised in this study offered physiological conditions to study sperm binding to the isthmic reservoir and evidenced that sperm from different ejaculates and different boars vary in their ability to bind to these oviduct spheroids despite homogeneous motility and morphology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Théo Prudhomme
- INRAE, CNRS, Université de Tours, PRC, F-37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Guillaume Tsikis
- INRAE, CNRS, Université de Tours, PRC, F-37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Karine Reynaud
- INRAE, CNRS, Université de Tours, PRC, F-37380, Nouzilly, France
| | | | - Pascal Mermillod
- INRAE, CNRS, Université de Tours, PRC, F-37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Marie Saint-Dizier
- INRAE, CNRS, Université de Tours, PRC, F-37380, Nouzilly, France; Faculty of Sciences and Technologies, Tours University, F-37200, Tours, France.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Raval K, Kumaresan A, Sinha MK, Elango K, Ebenezer Samuel King JP, Nag P, Paul N, Talluri TR, Patil S. Sperm proteomic landscape is altered in breeding bulls with greater sperm DNA fragmentation index. Theriogenology 2024; 216:82-92. [PMID: 38159388 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Although, it is well understood that sperm DNA damage is associated with infertility, the molecular details of how damaged sperm DNA affects fertility are not fully elucidated. Since sperm proteins play an important role in fertilization and post-fertilization events, the present study aimed to identify the sperm proteomic alterations in bulls with high sperm DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI%). Semen from Holstein-Friesian crossbred breeding bulls (n = 50) was subjected to Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay. Based on DFI%, bulls were classified into either high- (HDFI; n = 6), or low-DFI (LDFI; n = 6) and their spermatozoa were subjected to high throughput proteomic analysis. Liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis identified 4567 proteins in bull spermatozoa. A total of 2660 proteins were found common to both the groups, while 1193 and 714 proteins were unique to HDFI and LDFI group, respectively. A total of 265 proteins were up regulated and 262 proteins were down regulated in HDFI group. It was found that proteins involved in capacitation [heparin binding (molecular function), ERK1 and ERK2 cascade (biological process), PI3K-Akt signalling (pathway), Jak-STAT signalling (pathway)], spermatogenesis [TLR signalling (pathway), gamete generation (biological process)] and DNA repair mechanism (biological process) were significantly altered in the bulls with high DFI%.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathan Raval
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India
| | - Arumugam Kumaresan
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India.
| | - Manish Kumar Sinha
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India
| | - Kamaraj Elango
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India
| | - John Peter Ebenezer Samuel King
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India
| | - Pradeep Nag
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India
| | - Nilendu Paul
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India
| | - Thirumala Rao Talluri
- Equine Production Campus, ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines, Bikaner, 334001, Rajasthan, India
| | - Shivanagouda Patil
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Chhillar S, Batra V, Kumaresan A, Kumar R, Pal A, Datta TK. Acute exposure to organophosphorus pesticide metabolites compromises buffalo sperm function and impairs fertility. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9102. [PMID: 37277402 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35541-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Agrichemicals such as organophosphorus pesticides' metabolites (OPPMs) are more hazardous and pervasive than their parent pesticides. Parental germline exposure to such xenobiotics leads to an elevated susceptibility towards reproductive failures e.g. sub- or in-fertility. This study sought to examine the effects of low-dose, acute OPPM exposure on mammalian sperm function using buffalo as the model organism. The buffalo spermatozoa were briefly (2 h) exposed to metabolites of the three most prevalent organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) viz. Omethoate (from Dimethoate), paraoxon-methyl (from methyl/ethyl parathion) and 3, 5, 6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (from chlorpyrifos). Exposure to OPPMs resulted in compromised structural and functional integrity (dose-dependent) of the buffalo spermatozoa typified by elevated membrane damage, increased lipid peroxidation, precocious capacitation and tyrosine phosphorylation, perturbed mitochondrial activity and function and (P < 0.05). This led to a decline in the in vitro fertilizing ability (P < 0.01) of the exposed spermatozoa, as indicated by reduced cleavage and blastocyst formation rates. Preliminary data indicate that acute exposure to OPPMs, akin to their parent pesticides, induces biomolecular and physiological changes in spermatozoa that compromise their health and function ultimately affecting their fertility. This is the first study demonstrating the in vitro spermatotoxic effects of multiple OPPMs on male gamete functional integrity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shivani Chhillar
- Animal Genomics Lab., Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-NDRI, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Vipul Batra
- Animal Genomics Lab., Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-NDRI, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
- School of Medicine, Division of Child Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England
| | - Arumugam Kumaresan
- Theriogenelogy Lab., SRS of National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Animal Genomics Lab., Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-NDRI, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Ankit Pal
- Animal Genomics Lab., Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-NDRI, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Tirtha Kumar Datta
- Animal Genomics Lab., Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-NDRI, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India.
- ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, India.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kashyap P, Solanki S, Datta TK, Kumar R. Buffalo sperm membrane glycan-binding proteins reveal precise and preferential binding signatures with specific glycans targets on oviduct epithelium and zona pellucida-an implication in fertilization. Theriogenology 2023; 207:96-109. [PMID: 37271105 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Sperm membrane glycan-binding proteins (lectins) interact with the counterpart glycans in the oviduct, oocytes, and vice-versa. It has already been well known that specific glycans are present on oviductal epithelium and zona pellucida (ZP) in different mammalian species. Some of these glycans are necessary for oviductal sperm reservoir formation and gamete recognition. The specific binding phenomenon of lectin-glycans is one of the vital factors for successful fertilization in mammals. We hypothesized that buffalo sperm membrane glycan-binding proteins have specific glycan targets in the oviduct and ZP supporting the fertilization event. In the present investigation, sperm membrane proteins were extracted and assessed for their binding capacity with glycans using a high-throughput glycan microarray. The most promising glycan binding signals were evaluated to confirm the sperm putative receptors for glycan targets in the oviductal epithelial cells (OEC) and on ZP using an in-vitro competitive binding inhibition assay. Based on an array of 100 glycans, we found that N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc), Lewis-a trisaccharide, 3'-sialyllactosamine and LacdiNAc were the most promising glycans and selected for further in-vitro validation. We established an inhibitory concentration of 12 mM Lewis-a trisaccharide and 10 μg/ml Lotus tetragonolobus (LTL) lectin for the sperm-OEC binding interaction, indicating its specificity and sensitivity. We observed that 3 mM 3'-sialyllactosamine, and LacdiNAc were the most competitive inhibitory concentration in sperm-ZP binding, suggesting a specific and abundance-dependent binding affinity. The competitive binding affinity of Maackia amurensis (MAA) lectin with Neu5Ac(α2-3)Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc further supports the abundance of 3'-sialyllactosamine on ZP responsible for sperm binding. Our findings develop the strong evidence on buffalo sperm putative receptors underlying their locking specificities with Lewis-a trisaccharide in oviduct and 3'-sialyllactosamine on ZP. The functional interaction of buffalo sperm lectins with the target glycans in OEC and ZP appears to be accomplished in an abundance-dependent manner, facilitating the fertilization event in buffaloes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Kashyap
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India
| | - Subhash Solanki
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India
| | - Tirtha Kumar Datta
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India.
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Soto-Heras S, Sakkas D, Miller DJ. Sperm selection by the oviduct: perspectives for male fertility and assisted reproductive technologies†. Biol Reprod 2023; 108:538-552. [PMID: 36625382 PMCID: PMC10106845 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioac224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The contribution of sperm to embryogenesis is gaining attention with up to 50% of infertility cases being attributed to a paternal factor. The traditional methods used in assisted reproductive technologies for selecting and assessing sperm quality are mainly based on motility and viability parameters. However, other sperm characteristics, including deoxyribonucleic acid integrity, have major consequences for successful live birth. In natural reproduction, sperm navigate the male and female reproductive tract to reach and fertilize the egg. During transport, sperm encounter many obstacles that dramatically reduce the number arriving at the fertilization site. In humans, the number of sperm is reduced from tens of millions in the ejaculate to hundreds in the Fallopian tube (oviduct). Whether this sperm population has higher fertilization potential is not fully understood, but several studies in animals indicate that many defective sperm do not advance to the site of fertilization. Moreover, the oviduct plays a key role in fertility by modulating sperm transport, viability, and maturation, providing sperm that are ready to fertilize at the appropriate time. Here we present evidence of sperm selection by the oviduct with emphasis on the mechanisms of selection and the sperm characteristics selected. Considering the sperm parameters that are essential for healthy embryonic development, we discuss the use of novel in vitro sperm selection methods that mimic physiological conditions. We propose that insight gained from understanding how the oviduct selects sperm can be translated to assisted reproductive technologies to yield high fertilization, embryonic development, and pregnancy rates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Soto-Heras
- Department of Animal Sciences and Institute of Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | | | - David J Miller
- Department of Animal Sciences and Institute of Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Kumaresan A, Sinha MK, Paul N, Nag P, Ebenezer Samuel King JP, Kumar R, Datta TK. Establishment of a repertoire of fertility associated sperm proteins and their differential abundance in buffalo bulls (Bubalus bubalis) with contrasting fertility. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2272. [PMID: 36754964 PMCID: PMC9908891 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29529-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Sperm harbours a wide range of proteins regulating their functions and fertility. In the present study, we made an effort to characterize and quantify the proteome of buffalo bull spermatozoa, and to identify fertility associated sperm proteins through comparative proteomics. Using high-throughput mass spectrometry platform, we identified 1305 proteins from buffalo spermatozoa and found that these proteins were mostly enriched in glycolytic process, mitochondrial respiratory chain, tricarboxylic acid cycle, protein folding, spermatogenesis, sperm motility and sperm binding to zona pellucida (p < 7.74E-08) besides metabolic (p = 4.42E-31) and reactive oxygen species (p = 1.81E-30) pathways. Differential proteomic analysis revealed that 844 proteins were commonly expressed in spermatozoa from both the groups while 77 and 52 proteins were exclusively expressed in high- and low-fertile bulls, respectively. In low-fertile bulls, 75 proteins were significantly (p < 0.05) upregulated and 176 proteins were significantly (p < 0.05) downregulated; these proteins were highly enriched in mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I assembly (p = 2.63E-07) and flagellated sperm motility (p = 7.02E-05) processes besides oxidative phosphorylation pathway (p = 6.61E-15). The down regulated proteins in low-fertile bulls were involved in sperm motility, metabolism, sperm-egg recognition and fertilization. These variations in the sperm proteome could be used as potential markers for the selection of buffalo bulls for fertility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arumugam Kumaresan
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560030, India.
| | - Manish Kumar Sinha
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560030, India
| | - Nilendu Paul
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560030, India
| | - Pradeep Nag
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560030, India
| | - John Peter Ebenezer Samuel King
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560030, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, 132 001, India
| | - Tirtha Kumar Datta
- ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, Haryana, 125 001, India
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Karanwal S, Pal A, Chera JS, Batra V, Kumaresan A, Datta TK, Kumar R. Identification of protein candidates in spermatozoa of water buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis) bulls helps in predicting their fertility status. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1119220. [PMID: 36891514 PMCID: PMC9986327 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1119220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is an indispensable part of the Indian dairy sector and in several instances, the farmers incur economic losses due to failed pregnancy after artificial insemination (AI). One of the key factors for the failure of conception is the use of semen from the bulls of low fertilizing potential and hence, it becomes important to predict the fertility status before performing AI. In this study, the global proteomic profile of high fertile (HF) and low fertile (LF) buffalo bull spermatozoa was established using a high-throughput LC-MS/MS technique. A total of 1,385 proteins (≥1 high-quality PSM/s, ≥1 unique peptides, p < 0.05, FDR < 0.01) were identified out of which, 1,002 were common between both the HF and LF groups while 288 and 95 proteins were unique to HF and LF groups respectively. We observed 211 and 342 proteins were significantly high (log Fc ≥ 2) and low abundant (log Fc ≤ 0.5) in HF spermatozoa (p < 0.05). Gene ontology analysis revealed that the fertility associated high abundant proteins in HF were involved in spermatogenesis, sperm motility, acrosome integrity, zona pellucida binding and other associated sperm functions. Besides this, the low abundant proteins in HF were involved in glycolysis, fatty acid degradation and inflammation. Furthermore, fertility related differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) on sperm viz., AKAP3, Sp17, and DLD were validated through Western blotting and immunocytochemistry which was in coherence with the LC-MS/MS data. The DAPs identified in this study may be used as potential protein candidates for predicting fertility in buffaloes. Our findings provide an opportunity in mitigating the economic losses that farmers incur due to male infertility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seema Karanwal
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Ankit Pal
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Jatinder Singh Chera
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Vipul Batra
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Arumugam Kumaresan
- Theriogenelogy Laboratory, SRS of National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | - Tirtha K Datta
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Ebenezer Samuel King JP, Sinha MK, Kumaresan A, Nag P, Das Gupta M, Arul Prakash M, Talluri TR, Datta TK. Cryopreservation process alters the expression of genes involved in pathways associated with the fertility of bull spermatozoa. Front Genet 2022; 13:1025004. [PMID: 36386822 PMCID: PMC9640914 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1025004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In bovines, cryopreserved semen is used for artificial insemination; however, the fertility of cryopreserved semen is far lower than that of fresh semen. Although cryopreservation alters sperm phenotypic characteristics, its effect on sperm molecular health is not thoroughly understood. The present study applied next-generation sequencing to investigate the effect of cryopreservation on the sperm transcriptomic composition of bull spermatozoa. While freshly ejaculated bull spermatozoa showed 14,280 transcripts, cryopreserved spermatozoa showed only 12,375 transcripts. Comparative analysis revealed that 241 genes were upregulated, 662 genes were downregulated, and 215 genes showed neutral expression in cryopreserved spermatozoa compared to fresh spermatozoa. Gene ontology analysis indicated that the dysregulated transcripts were involved in nucleic acid binding, transcription-specific activity, and protein kinase binding involving protein autophosphorylation, ventricular septum morphogenesis, and organ development. Moreover, the dysregulated genes in cryopreserved spermatozoa were involved in pathways associated with glycogen metabolism, MAPK signalling, embryonic organ morphogenesis, ectodermal placode formation, and regulation of protein auto-phosphorylation. These findings suggest that the cryopreservation process induced alterations in the abundance of sperm transcripts related to potential fertility-associated functions and pathways, which might partly explain the reduced fertility observed with cryopreserved bull spermatozoa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John Peter Ebenezer Samuel King
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka
| | - Manish Kumar Sinha
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka
| | - Arumugam Kumaresan
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka
| | - Pradeep Nag
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka
| | - Mohua Das Gupta
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka
| | - Mani Arul Prakash
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka
| | - Thirumala Rao Talluri
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Arunkumar R, Kumaresan A, Sinha MK, Elango K, Ebenezer Samuel King JP, Nag P, Karuthadurai T, Baithalu RK, Mohanty TK, Kumar R, Datta TK. The cryopreservation process induces alterations in proteins associated with bull sperm quality: The equilibration process could be a probable critical control point. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:1064956. [PMID: 36568066 PMCID: PMC9787546 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1064956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study quantitatively characterized the proteomic changes in bull spermatozoa induced by the cryopreservation process. We performed high-throughput comparative global proteomic profiling of freshly ejaculated (before cryopreservation), equilibrated (refrigerated storage; during cryopreservation), and frozen (ultralow temperature; after cryopreservation) bull spermatozoa. Using the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) technique, a total of 1,692, 1,415, and 1,286 proteins were identified in fresh, equilibrated, and cryopreserved spermatozoa, respectively. When the proteome of fresh spermatozoa was compared with equilibrated spermatozoa, we found that 166 proteins were differentially expressed. When equilibrated spermatozoa were compared with cryopreserved spermatozoa, we found that 147 proteins were differentially expressed between them. Similarly, we found that 156 proteins were differentially expressed between fresh and cryopreserved spermatozoa. Among these proteins, the abundance of 105 proteins was lowered during the equilibration process itself, while the abundance of 43 proteins was lowered during ultralow temperature preservation. Remarkably, the equilibration process lowered the abundance of sperm proteins involved in energy metabolism, structural integrity, and DNA repair and increased the abundance of proteins associated with proteolysis and protein degradation. The abundance of sperm proteins associated with metabolism, cGMP-PKG (cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase G) signaling, and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton was also altered during the equilibration process. Collectively, the present study showed that the equilibration step in the bull sperm cryopreservation process was the critical point for sperm proteome, during which a majority of proteomic alterations in sperm occurred. These findings are valuable for developing efficient protocols to minimize protein damage and to improve the quality and fertility of cryopreserved bull spermatozoa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ramasamy Arunkumar
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | - Arumugam Kumaresan
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
- *Correspondence: Arumugam Kumaresan, ;
| | - Manish Kumar Sinha
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | - Kamaraj Elango
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | | | - Pradeep Nag
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | - Thirumalaisamy Karuthadurai
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | - Rubina Kumari Baithalu
- Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Tushar Kumar Mohanty
- Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Tirtha Kumar Datta
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Sperm phenotypic characteristics and oviduct binding ability are altered in breeding bulls with high sperm DNA fragmentation index. Theriogenology 2021; 172:80-87. [PMID: 34146972 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2021.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we standardized an in vitro oviduct explants model for cattle and assessed the oviduct explants binding ability and phenotypic characteristics of spermatozoa obtained from breeding bulls with high- and low-sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI%). Cryopreserved spermatozoa from Holstein Friesian crossbred breeding bulls (n = 45) with known field fertility were assessed for DFI% and were classified into either high DFI% or low DFI% category. Flow cytometry was used to assess sperm membrane integrity, acrosome reaction status, mitochondrial membrane potential and intracellular calcium concentrations. It was found that spermatozoa from bulls with low DFI% had significantly higher (P < 0.05) membrane integrity, acrosome intactness, and mitochondrial membrane potential. To assess the sperm oviduct binding ability, oviduct explants were prepared by incubating the oviduct cells overnight in TCM-199 medium at 38.5 °C under 5% CO2. Different sperm concentrations and times of incubation were evaluated and found that 2 million spermatozoa and 1-h incubation yielded high binding index (BI). The BI was also significantly (P < 0.01) higher (>2 times) in the bulls with low-DFI% as compared to high DFI% bulls. The correlation between binding index and DFI% was negative and significant (r = -0.528; P < 0.05). Further, the binding index was positively correlated with conception rate (r = 0.703), intact sperm membrane (r = 0.631) and mitochondrial membrane potential (r = 0.609). It is inferred that sperm phenotypic characteristics and oviduct binding ability are impaired in breeding bulls with high sperm DFI%, which might be associated with low conception rates in these bulls.
Collapse
|
11
|
El-Sokary M, Ibrahim S, El-Naby AS, Sosa A, Mahmoud K, Nawito M. New insights into molecular aspects of sperm-oviductal binding in Egyptian buffaloes using an in vitro model: Effects of oviductal segments and media. Andrologia 2021; 53:e13984. [PMID: 33565139 DOI: 10.1111/and.13984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We aimed (I) to simulate an in vivo milieu, through establishing an in vitro paradigm to study sperm-oviductal interactions using different segments of oviduct, as well as different incubation media, and (II) to investigate spatial changes of oviductal gene expression. Two experiments were designed; one was to investigate the yield of oviduct aggregates from different oviduct segments; in the second experiment, we observed effects of different incubation media on sperm-oviductal binding. Oviduct cell pellets before (control) and after sperm binding were collected for RNA isolation and gene expression. Isthmus resulted in a higher aggregate yield and possessed the highest affinity towards spermatozoa. The different segments of oviduct showed clear changes in gene expression after sperm binding. TALP medium promoted formation of a higher number of oviduct aggregates towards spermatozoa. Different media resulted in profound alterations in isthmus gene expression. Collectively, isthmus segment in TALP media showed the highest binding affinity to spermatozoa. At the molecular level, our in vitro model was successful for simulation in vivo milieu. Thus, our findings could be used as a simple tool to gain more insights into the molecular regulation of sperm movement, selection and affinity for oviductal binding in buffaloes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed El-Sokary
- Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
| | - Sally Ibrahim
- Department of Animal Reproduction and A.I, Veterinary Research Division, National Research Centre, Dokki, Egypt
| | - Al-Shimaa El-Naby
- Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
| | - A Sosa
- Department of Animal Reproduction and A.I, Veterinary Research Division, National Research Centre, Dokki, Egypt
| | - Karima Mahmoud
- Department of Animal Reproduction and A.I, Veterinary Research Division, National Research Centre, Dokki, Egypt
| | - M Nawito
- Department of Animal Reproduction and A.I, Veterinary Research Division, National Research Centre, Dokki, Egypt
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Paul N, Kumaresan A, Das Gupta M, Nag P, Guvvala PR, Kuntareddi C, Sharma A, Selvaraju S, Datta TK. Transcriptomic Profiling of Buffalo Spermatozoa Reveals Dysregulation of Functionally Relevant mRNAs in Low-Fertile Bulls. Front Vet Sci 2021; 7:609518. [PMID: 33506000 PMCID: PMC7829312 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.609518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although, it is known that spermatozoa harbor a variety of RNAs that may influence embryonic development, little is understood about sperm transcriptomic differences in relation to fertility, especially in buffaloes. In the present study, we compared the differences in sperm functional attributes and transcriptomic profile between high- and low-fertile buffalo bulls. Sperm membrane and acrosomal integrity were lower (P < 0.05), while protamine deficiency and lipid peroxidation were higher (P < 0.05) in low- compared to high-fertile bulls. Transcriptomic analysis using mRNA microarray technology detected a total of 51,282 transcripts in buffalo spermatozoa, of which 4,050 transcripts were differentially expressed, and 709 transcripts were found to be significantly dysregulated (P < 0.05 and fold change >1) between high- and low-fertile bulls. Majority of the dysregulated transcripts were related to binding activity, transcription, translation, and metabolic processes with primary localization in the cell nucleus, nucleoplasm, and in cytosol. Pathways related to MAPK signaling, ribosome pathway, and oxidative phosphorylation were dysregulated in low-fertile bull spermatozoa. Using bioinformatics analysis, we observed that several genes related to sperm functional attributes were significantly downregulated in low-fertile bull spermatozoa. Validation of the results of microarray analysis was carried out using real-time qPCR expression analysis of selected genes (YBX1, ORAI3, and TFAP2C). The relative expression of these genes followed the same trend in both the techniques. Collectively, this is the first study to report the transcriptomic profile of buffalo spermatozoa and to demonstrate the dysregulation of functionally relevant transcripts in low-fertile bull spermatozoa. The results of the present study open up new avenues for understanding the etiology for poor fertility in buffalo bulls and to identify fertility biomarkers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nilendu Paul
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR - National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | - Arumugam Kumaresan
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR - National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | - Mohua Das Gupta
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR - National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | - Pradeep Nag
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR - National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | - Pushpa Rani Guvvala
- Reproductive Physiology Laboratory, ICAR - National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Bengaluru, India
| | - Channareddi Kuntareddi
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR - National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | - Ankur Sharma
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Southern Regional Station of ICAR - National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
| | - Sellappan Selvaraju
- Reproductive Physiology Laboratory, ICAR - National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Bengaluru, India
| | - Tirtha Kumar Datta
- Animal Genomics Laboratory, ICAR - National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Rather HA, Kumaresan A, Nag P, Kumar V, Nayak S, Batra V, Ganaie BA, Baithalu RK, Mohanty TK, Datta TK. Spermatozoa produced during winter are superior in terms of phenotypic characteristics and oviduct explants binding ability in the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Reprod Domest Anim 2020; 55:1629-1637. [PMID: 32945545 DOI: 10.1111/rda.13824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Although reduced reproductive efficiency during summer has been well documented in buffaloes, the reason for the same is yet to be understood. The present study was conducted to identify the subtle differences in sperm phenotypic characteristics (motility, membrane integrity, acrosome reaction and lipid peroxidation status), oviduct binding ability and expression of fertility-associated genes (AK 1, ATP5D, CatSper 1, Cytochrome P450 aromatase, SPP1 and PEBP1) between winter and summer seasons in buffaloes. Cryopreserved spermatozoa from 6 Murrah buffalo bulls (3 ejaculates/bull/season) were utilized for the study. Real-time quantitative PCR was performed for assessing the expression patterns of select fertility-associated genes. The proportion of motile and membrane intact spermatozoa was significantly higher (p < .05) in winter as compared to summer ejaculates. The proportion of moribund and lipid peroxidized spermatozoa was significantly lower (p < .05) in winter ejaculates as compared to summer. The sperm-oviduct binding index was significantly lower (p < .01) when spermatozoa from summer ejaculates were used as compared to winter ejaculates. The expression of fertility-associated genes did not differ significantly between the two seasons except for PEPB1; the transcriptional abundance of PEPB1 was significantly (p < .05) lower in summer as compared to winter season. It was inferred that buffalo spermatozoa produced during winter season were superior in terms of cryotolerance, membrane and acrosome integrity, lipid peroxidation status and the ability to bind with oviduct explants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haneef Ahmad Rather
- Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Arumugam Kumaresan
- Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Pradeep Nag
- Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Vimlesh Kumar
- Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Samiksha Nayak
- Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Vipul Batra
- Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Bilal Ahmad Ganaie
- Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Rubina K Baithalu
- Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Tushar Kumar Mohanty
- Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| | - Tirtha Kumar Datta
- Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Saint-Dizier M, Mahé C, Reynaud K, Tsikis G, Mermillod P, Druart X. Sperm interactions with the female reproductive tract: A key for successful fertilization in mammals. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 516:110956. [PMID: 32712384 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Sperm migration through the female genital tract is not a quiet journey. Uterine contractions quickly operate a drastic selection, leading to a very restrictive number of sperm reaching the top of uterine horns and finally, provided the presence of key molecules on sperm, the oviduct, where fertilization takes place. During hours and sometimes days before fertilization, subpopulations of spermatozoa interact with dynamic and region-specific maternal components, including soluble proteins, extracellular vesicles and epithelial cells lining the lumen of the female tract. Interactions with uterine and oviductal cells play important roles for sperm survival as they modulate the maternal immune response and allow a transient storage before ovulation. The body of work reported here highlights the importance of sperm interactions with proteins originated from both the uterine and oviductal fluids, as well as hormonal signals around the time of ovulation for sperm acquisition of fertilizing competence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marie Saint-Dizier
- INRAE, UMR PRC, 37380, Nouzilly, France; University of Tours, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, 37000, Tours, France.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Saraf KK, Kumaresan A, Dasgupta M, Karthikkeyan G, Prasad TSK, Modi PK, Ramesha K, Jeyakumar S, Manimaran A. Metabolomic fingerprinting of bull spermatozoa for identification of fertility signature metabolites. Mol Reprod Dev 2020; 87:692-703. [DOI: 10.1002/mrd.23354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kaustubh K. Saraf
- Theriogenology LaboratorySouthern Regional Station of ICAR‐National Dairy Research Institute Bengaluru Karnataka India
| | - Arumugam Kumaresan
- Theriogenology LaboratorySouthern Regional Station of ICAR‐National Dairy Research Institute Bengaluru Karnataka India
| | - Mohua Dasgupta
- Theriogenology LaboratorySouthern Regional Station of ICAR‐National Dairy Research Institute Bengaluru Karnataka India
| | - Gayathree Karthikkeyan
- Centre for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research CentreYenepoya (Deemed to be University) Mangalore Karnataka India
| | | | - Prashant K. Modi
- Centre for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research CentreYenepoya (Deemed to be University) Mangalore Karnataka India
| | - Kerekoppa Ramesha
- Dairy Production SectionSouthern Regional Station of ICAR‐National Dairy Research Institute Bengaluru Karnataka India
| | - Sakthivel Jeyakumar
- Dairy Production SectionSouthern Regional Station of ICAR‐National Dairy Research Institute Bengaluru Karnataka India
| | - Ayyasamy Manimaran
- Dairy Production SectionSouthern Regional Station of ICAR‐National Dairy Research Institute Bengaluru Karnataka India
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Vignesh K, Murugavel K, Antoine D, Prakash MA, Saraf KK, Nag P, Karuthadurai T, Kumaresan A. The proportion of tyrosine phosphorylated spermatozoa in cryopreserved semen is negatively related to crossbred bull fertility. Theriogenology 2020; 149:46-54. [PMID: 32234650 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Sub-fertility is a major problem in crossbred bulls. Identification of subtle differences in the quality of cryopreserved spermatozoa among bulls belonging to different fertility rankings would help determine the latent fertility of semen before their use at field conditions. In the present study, we assessed the status of tyrosine phosphorylation, membrane integrity and acrosome reaction of cryopreserved spermatozoa in crossbred bulls (n = 22) with different levels of field fertility and assessed their relationship with fertility. Bulls were categorized into above-average (n = 4), average (n = 14) and below-average (n = 4) based on their different field fertility rates. The progressive sperm motility was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in above-average fertile bulls compared to either average or below-average fertile bulls whereas sperm membrane integrity and acrosomal reaction status did not differ among the three groups. The proportion of live tyrosine-phosphorylated spermatozoa were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in below-average and average fertile bulls compared to above-average bulls. Immunolocalization of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in spermatozoa revealed that the proportion of spermatozoa showing tyrosine phosphorylation at acrosome and post-acrosomal area (APA) and at acrosome, post-acrosome and tail (APAT) were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in below-average fertile bulls than other groups. The APA pattern (r = -0.605; P < 0.01) and APAT (r = 0.507; P < 0.05) pattern were significantly and negatively correlated with bull fertility. It was concluded that the proportion of live tyrosine-phosphorylated spermatozoa in cryopreserved semen was negatively related to bull fertility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kolanjiyappan Vignesh
- Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research, Kurumbapet, Puducherry, 605 009, India
| | - Kailasam Murugavel
- Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research, Kurumbapet, Puducherry, 605 009, India
| | - Dourey Antoine
- Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research, Kurumbapet, Puducherry, 605 009, India
| | - Mani Arul Prakash
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India
| | - Kausthub Kishore Saraf
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India
| | - Pradeep Nag
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India
| | - Thirumalaisamy Karuthadurai
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India
| | - Arumugam Kumaresan
- Theriogenology Laboratory, Southern Regional Station of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru, 560030, Karnataka, India.
| |
Collapse
|