Compatibility of Distinct Label-Free Proteomic Workflows in Absolute Quantification of Proteins Linked to the Oocyte Quality in Human Follicular Fluid

CART (Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript): A New Identified Intrafollicular Mediator in Ovulation Induction Protocols

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

This study investigates the relationship between cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) expression, leptin, and hormone profiles-specifically progesterone, testosterone, androstenedione, estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-across four distinct ovulation induction protocols (HMG, HMG/hCG, rFSH, and rFSH/hCG). It also investigates the relationship between follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) Ser680Asn polymorphisms, CART expression, and in vitro fertilization (IVF) results, with the goal of better understanding how CART and FSHR polymorphisms affect ovarian response and oocyte quality.

METHODS

Data were obtained from 94 women who underwent controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) as part of their IVF therapy. Hormone levels, CART expression, and FSHR polymorphisms were measured across all four ovulation induction procedures. Statistical studies were undertaken to investigate the relationships between CART expression, hormone levels, and IVF results.

RESULTS

The study found no significant difference in body mass index (BMI) amongst the four stimulation procedures (p-values varied from 0.244 to 0.909). CART expression did not show a significant correlation with hormone levels throughout the whole cohort (progesterone, testosterone, androstenedione, FSH, hCG, and estradiol; p > 0.05). However, CART levels were adversely linked with the number of follicles > 12 mm (r = -0.251, p = 0.018), total oocyte count (r = -0.247, p = 0.019), and oocyte maturity (r = -0.212, p = 0.048). Furthermore, there was a strong negative connection between CART expression and thyroid hormone T3 (r = -0.319, p = 0.048). Among FSHR polymorphisms, the SER/SER genotype was related to greater CART levels (mean 4.198 ± 2.257) than the SER/ASN and ASN/ASN genotypes (p = 0.031).

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicate that CART expression and FSHR polymorphisms may influence ovarian response and oocyte quality in IVF patients, possibly acting as biomarkers for evaluating ovarian outcomes in various ovulation induction procedures.

Follicular Fluid Proteomic Analysis to Identify Predictive Markers of Normal Embryonic Development

Ageing populations, mass "baby-free" policies and children born to mothers at the age at which they are biologically expected to become grandmothers are growing problems in most developed societies. Therefore, any opportunity to improve the quality of infertility treatments seems important for the survival of societies. The possibility of indirectly studying the quality of developing oocytes by examining their follicular fluids (hFFs) offers new opportunities for progress in our understanding the processes of final oocyte maturation and, consequently, for predicting the quality of the resulting embryos and personalising their culture. Using mass spectrometry, we studied follicular fluids collected individually during in vitro fertilisation and compared their composition with the quality of the resulting embryos. We analysed 110 follicular fluids from 50 oocyte donors, from which we obtained 44 high-quality, 39 medium-quality, and 27 low-quality embryos. We identified 2182 proteins by Sequential Window Acquisition of all Theoretical Mass Spectra (SWATH-MS) using a TripleTOF 5600+ hybrid mass spectrometer, of which 484 were suitable for quantification. We were able to identify several proteins whose concentrations varied between the follicular fluids of different oocytes from the same patient and between patients. Among them, the most important appear to be immunoglobulin heavy constant alpha 1 (IgA1hc) and dickkopf-related protein 3. The first one is found at higher concentrations in hFFs from which oocytes develop into poor-quality embryos, the other one exhibits the opposite pattern. None of these have, so far, had any specific links to fertility disorders. In light of these findings, these proteins should be considered a primary target for research aimed at developing a diagnostic tool for oocyte quality control and pre-fertilisation screening. This is particularly important in cases where the fertilisation of each egg is not an option for ethical or other reasons, or in countries where it is prohibited by law.

Proteomic response of A549 lung cancer cell line to protein-polysaccharide complex Venetin-1 isolated from earthworm coelomic fluid

Earthworms' celomic fluid has long attracted scientists' interest due to their toxic properties. It has been shown that the elimination of coelomic fluid cytotoxicity to normal human cells was crucial for the generation of the non-toxic Venetin-1 protein-polysaccharide complex, which exhibits selective activity against Candida albicans cells as well as A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells. To find the molecular mechanisms behind the anti-cancer properties of the preparation, this research investigated the proteome response of A549 cells to the presence of Venetin-1. The sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra (SWATH-MS) methodology was used for the analysis, which allows for a relative quantitative analysis to be carried out without radiolabelling. The results showed that the formulation did not induce significant proteome responses in normal BEAS-2B cells. In the case of the tumour line, 31 proteins were up regulated, and 18 proteins down regulated. Proteins with increased expression in neoplastic cells are mainly associated with the mitochondrion, membrane transport and the endoplasmic reticulum. In the case of altered proteins, Venetin-1 interferes with proteins that stabilise the structures, i.e., keratin, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and metabolic processes.

Proteomic analysis of sialoliths from calcified, lipid and mixed groups as a source of potential biomarkers of deposit formation in the salivary glands

Salivary stones, also known as sialoliths, are formed in a pathological situation in the salivary glands. So far, neither the mechanism of their formation nor the factors predisposing to their formation are known despite several hypotheses. While they do not directly threaten human life, they significantly deteriorate the patient's quality of life. Although this is not a typical research material, attempts are made to apply various analytical tools to characterise sialoliths and search for the biomarkers in their proteomes. In this work, we used mass spectrometry and SWATH-MS qualitative and quantitative analysis to investigate the composition and select proteins that may contribute to solid deposits in the salivary glands. Twenty sialoliths, previously characterized spectroscopically and divided into the following groups: calcified (CAL), lipid (LIP) and mixed (MIX), were used for the study. Proteins unique for each of the groups were found, including: for the CAL group among them, e.g. proteins from the S100 group (S100 A8/A12 and P), mucin 7 (MUC7), keratins (KRT1/2/4/5/13), elastase (ELANE) or stomatin (STOM); proteins for the LIP group-transthyretin (TTR), lactotransferrin (LTF), matrix Gla protein (MPG), submandibular gland androgen-regulated protein 3 (SMR3A); mixed stones had the fewest unique proteins. Bacterial proteins present in sialoliths have also been identified. The analysis of the results indicates the possible role of bacterial infections, disturbances in calcium metabolism and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in the formation of sialoliths.

Trial Proteomic Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of the Protein Matrix of Submandibular Sialoliths

Our studies aimed to explore the protein components of the matrix of human submandibular gland sialoliths. A qualitative analysis was carried out based on the filter aided sample preparation (FASP) methodology. In the protein extraction process, we evaluated the applicability of the standard demineralization step and the use of a lysis buffer containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dithiothreitol (DTT). The analysis of fragmentation spectra based on the human database allowed for the identification of 254 human proteins present in the deposits. In addition, the use of multi-round search in the PEAKS Studio program against the bacterial base allowed for the identification of 393 proteins of bacterial origin present in the extract obtained from sialolith, which so far has not been carried out for this biological material. Furthermore, we successfully applied the SWATH methodology, allowing for a relative quantitative analysis of human proteins present in deposits. The obtained results correlate with the classification of sialoliths proposed by Tretiakow. The performed functional analysis allowed for the first time the selection of proteins, the levels of which differ between the tested samples, which may suggest the role of these proteins in the calcification process in different types of sialoliths. These are preliminary studies, and drawing specific conclusions requires research on a larger group, but it provides us the basis for the continuation of the work that has already begun.

Proteomic Analysis of the Alterations in Follicular Fluid Proteins During Oocyte Maturation in Humans

Many components in ovarian follicles (follicular fluid, cumulus cells, granular cells, etc.) dynamically change during folliculogenesis and play a positive or negative role in oocyte maturation. Infertile women who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment in the reproductive medicine centre of Hangzhou Women's Hospital between October 2018 and October 2021 were included. The ovarian follicular fluid and cumulus cells of diminished ovarian response (DOR) patients and control subjects with medical records of clinical data were collected. In total, 31 differentially expressed proteins, including 10 upregulated proteins (>1.50-fold, P<0.05) and 21 downregulated proteins (<0.67-fold, P<0.05), were identified in mature vs. immature oocytes by iTRAQ labelling coupled with 2D LC-MS/MS. GO analysis revealed that 'cell population proliferation' was the most diverse enrichment trend between up/downregulated proteins, while phagosome process and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway were the two most significant pathways revealed by KEGG enrichment classification. Human prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP, ACPP) and CD5 antigen-like (CD5L) were two proteins verified by ELISA to be differentially expressed between MII and Gv oocytes (P<0.0001 and P<0.0001, respectively). Further measurement found significantly lower level of ACPP in follicular fluids and cumulus cells of DOR patients (P=0.028 and P=0.004, respectively), as an indicator of oocyte quality. Otherwise, CD5L level is upregulated in follicular fluid of DOR patients (P<0.0001). Our study provided experimental data to establish the objective indicator of oocyte maturation in the microenvironment of ovarian follicles, and also provided new insight into the measurement of oocyte quality.