Comparative Proteome Analysis of Four Stages of Spermatogenesis in the Small-Spotted Catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula), Using High-Resolution NanoLC-ESI-MS/MS

Abstract

Spermatogenesis is a highly specialized process of cell proliferation and differentiation leading to the production of spermatozoa from spermatogonial stem cells. Due to its testicular anatomy, Scyliorhinus canicula is an interesting model to explore stage-based changes in proteins during spermatogenesis. The proteomes of four testicular zones corresponding to the germinative niche and to spermatocysts (cysts) with spermatogonia (zone A), cysts with spermatocytes (zone B), cysts with young spermatids (zone C), and cysts with late spermatids (zone D) have been analyzed by nanoLC-ESI-MS/MS. Gene ontology and KEGG annotations were also performed. A total of 3346 multiple protein groups were identified. Zone-specific protein analyses highlighted RNA-processing, chromosome-related processes, cilium organization, and cilium activity in zones A, D, C, and D, respectively. Analyses of proteins with zone-dependent abundance revealed processes related to cellular stress, ubiquitin-dependent degradation by the proteasome, post-transcriptional regulation, and regulation of cellular homeostasis. Our results also suggest that the roles of some proteins, such as ceruloplasmin, optineurin, the pregnancy zone protein, PA28β or the Culling-RING ligase 5 complex, as well as some uncharacterized proteins, during spermatogenesis could be further explored. Finally, the study of this shark species allows one to integrate these data in an evolutionary context of the regulation of spermatogenesis. Mass spectrometry data are freely accessible via iProX-integrated Proteome resources () for reuse purposes.

Revealing Spermatogenesis in Smooth-Hound Sharks Mustelus mustelus: Insights into the Morphological and Macromolecular Composition of Spermatogenic Cells

“…Recently, the nano LC-ESI-MS/MS technique has been used to evidence the proteome differences among four testicular zones corresponding to spermatocysts containing different germinal cell stages of Small-Spotted Catshark ( Scyliorhinus canicula ) [ 26 ]. Also, apoptotic events involving both germinal and Sertoli cells, observed during spermatogenesis in some elasmobranch species, may offer valuable information to characterize distinct spermatogenic mechanisms given their species-specific nature [ 27 ].…”

Proteomic Insights into Seminal Plasma and Spermatozoa Proteins of Small-Spotted Catsharks, Scyliorhinus canicula: Implications for Reproductive Conservation in Aquariums

“…Proteomic approaches have been applied in the sperm of aquatic animals, teleost fish, and marine mammals [17,[20][21][22][23][24][25]. However, when it comes to chondrichthyans, limited data are available for sperm proteins [26][27][28]. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have analyzed the composition of seminal plasma proteins in chondrichthyans.…”