Relationship of protein tyrosine phosphorylation state with tolerance to frozen storage and the potential to undergo cyclic AMP-dependent hyperactivation in the spermatozoa of Japanese Black bulls

The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between protein tyrosine phosphorylation state and sperm characteristics in frozen-stored spermatozoa of Japanese Black bulls. The spermatozoa were washed with PBS containing polyvinyl alcohol and then incubated with cell-permeable cAMP analog cBiMPS to induce flagellar hyperactivation. Before and after incubation, the spermatozoa were used for immunodetection of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, assessment of morphological acrosome condition and evaluation of motility. In bulls whose frozen-stored spermatozoa were classified as having a high-grade acrosome condition before incubation, sperm tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, including the 33-kDa tyrosine-phosphorylated SPACA1 protein, were localized in the anterior region of the acrosome and equatorial subsegment. The immunodetection level of the 41- and 33-kDa sperm tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins in the Western blots and the immunofluorescence of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins and SPACA1 proteins in the anterior region of the sperm acrosome were lower in bulls whose frozen-stored sperm were classified as having a low-grade acrosome condition. On the other hand, after incubation with cBiMPS, immunodetection levels of at least 10 tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins increased in the connecting and principal pieces of spermatozoa, coincident with the induction of flagellar hyperactivation. Many of the spermatozoa also exhibited detection patterns similar to those of boar hyperactivated spermatozoa. These results are consistent with the suggestion that immunodetection levels of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins are valid markers that can predict the level of tolerance to frozen storage and the potential to undergo cAMP-dependent hyperactivation for the spermatozoa of individual Japanese Black bulls.

Premature Capacitation of Frozen-Thawed Spermatozoa from Subfertile Japanese Black Cattle

Artificial insemination (AI) subfertility is an indication of failure of AI with frozen-thawed sperm classified as normal by conventional semen examination. Recently, 8 AI-subfertile Japanese Black cattle (S1-S8) were identified using the routine AI test or in vivo fertilization test, which included AI with frozen-thawed sperm of superovulated females and subsequent non-surgical recovery of presumptive zygotes. In the present study, we assessed capacitation states and in vitro oocyte penetration of frozen-thawed sperm from these bulls to estimate causal factors of AI subfertility. Frozen-thawed sperm from 8 AI-subfertile (S1-S8) and 9 fertile (F1-F9, control) bulls were washed and then used for a chlortetracycline (CTC) staining assay and in vitro fertilization test. The CTC staining assay revealed that approximately 50% of the sperm from 4 of the AI-subfertile bulls (S5-S8) were prematurely progressing into the capacitation state immediately after washing and resuspension in a CaCl(2)-lacking medium. In contrast, most of the sperm from the fertile bulls and other AI-subfertile bulls (S1-S4) remained uncapacitated. Addition of CaCl(2) to the medium effectively promoted a spontaneous acrosome reaction in the sperm samples from the AI-subfertile bulls (S5-S8). Moreover, the in vitro fertilization test showed that rates of sperm penetration into oocytes were significantly lower in sperm samples from the AI-subfertile bulls (S5-S8) than in the control sperm samples from the fertile bulls (F2-F4 and F7-F9). It has previously been suggested that prematurely capacitated sperm undergo a spontaneous acrosome reaction possibly due to uncontrolled influx of calcium ion, and consequently they possess relatively lower in vitro fertilizing ability. It is therefore possible that premature capacitation of sperm used for AI is a causal factor of subfertility of male Japanese Black cattle and a potentially good marker for identification of subfertile bulls for removal from AI programs.