Protein profile study in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) seminal plasma and its correlation with sperm quality

Abstract

Along with sperm quality parameters, the protein profile of European eel seminal plasma was analyzed during induced spermiation (n = 56 samples). Motility, Percentage of live cells, spermatozoa head morphometry and concentration showed low values during the initial weeks of spermiation and maintained high levels throughout the rest of the experiment. The protein profile gradient by SDS-PAGE (4-15%) registered four important electrophoretic bands around 80, 40, 26 and 12 KDa. Three of them showed significant differences in concentration during treatment (80, 40 and 12 KDa), and all of them showed the highest value on the 8th week. Both 80 and 12 KDa bands increased until the 8th week, followed by a progressive decline. One possible explanation for these profiles is that, in the first weeks of treatment, proteins originated from blood plasma are accumulated in the seminal plasma, and from the 8th week some of these proteins are incorporated into the spermatic membranes. The 40 KDa protein band also increased during the first 8 weeks, but maintained high concentrations in the seminal plasma for the rest of the experiment. One result confirms the theory that the presence of proteins in the seminal plasma having a molecular weight lower than 50 KDa increased spermatozoa motility, since the 40 KDa band displayed significantly higher values coinciding with the high percentages of spermatozoa motility. Seminal plasma proteins seem to have an important role in spermatogenesis and spermatozoa movement, but further studies are necessary to discover the identity of these proteins and their precise functions.

Use of antioxidants and time of cold storage: effects over viability parameters and enzymatic levels in semen of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum, 1792).

“…Quantification of proteins in seminal plasma: The protein concentration results obtained in the present study would agree with literature descriptions where protein levels in seminal plasma are highly variable and may have multiple sources of origin (for example, derived directly from blood plasma or secreted by the spermatic duct) Peñaranda et al 2010). There are several hypotheses regarding the role this are playing (Ingermann, 2008).…”

“…Loir et al (1990), were able to isolate lipoproteins from seminal plasma (33 μg/mL average) identifying them as lipoproteins bound to high density lipids (HDL). They postulated that those would maintain the lipid composition of the spermatic membrane during their stay in the spermatic duct, since that lipoproteins and HDL are the main transporters of biomembrane lipid components in biological fluids Peñaranda et al 2010). Li et al (2009), attribute to seminal proteins roles in the prolongation and stabilization of sperm viability in teleosts (Ciereszko, 2008;Peñaranda et al 2010).…”

Hormonal manipulations for the enhancement of sperm production in cultured fish and evaluation of sperm quality

“…During the last few years, the importance of seminal plasma proteins in relation to sperm quality has been demonstrated (Lahnsteiner, 2007;Peñaranda et al, 2010b). In Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) the seminal plasma contains proteins that are involved in membrane trafficking, organization, spermatozoa motility and oxido-reductase activity (Shaliutina et al, 2012).…”

“…Reproductive strategies Gadus morhua Atlantic cod (Butts et al, 2010b) Oncorhynchus tshawytscha chinook salmon (Flannery et al, 2013) Sperm chilled storage and/or cryopreservation Anguilla anguilla European eel (Marco-Jiménez et al, 2006b;Peñaranda et al, 2010c) (Asturiano et al, 2007Garzón et al, 2008) Dicentrarchus labrax European seabass (Peñaranda et al, 2008) Gadus morhua Atlantic cod (Butts et al, 2010a) Sparus aurata gilthead seabream (Gallego et al, 2012a) Relation with sperm motility Anguilla anguilla European eel (Asturiano et al, 2006) Gadus morhua Atlantic cod (Butts et al, 2010b;Tuset et al, 2008a) Oncorhynchus mykiss rainbow trout (Tuset et al, 2008c) Technique development Anguilla Anguilla European eel (Asturiano et al, 2006) Gadus morhua Atlantic cod (Butts et al, 2011c) Oncorhynchus mykiss rainbow trout (Tuset et al, 2008b) Oncorhynchus tshawytscha chinook salmon (Butts et al, 2011b) Comparative physiology Anguilla anguilla European eel (Gallego et al, 2014a;Peñaranda et al, 2010b) Diplodus puntazzo sharpsnout seabream (Marco-Jiménez et al, 2008) Gadus morhua Atlantic cod (Butts et al, 2010b;2011c) Sparus aurata gilthead seabream (Marco-Jiménez et al, 2008) Takifugu niphobles pufferfish (Gallego et al, 2014b) Figure BPG axis Click here to download high resolution image…”

Is it possible to store spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) sperm by refrigeration?

“…Indeed, most authors link the increase in specific proteins with improved sperm quality. For example, in European eel Anguilla anguilla samples with proteins with molecular weight less than 50 kDa were linked to increase in the sperm motility (Peñaranda et al 2010 ). However, in our work most of the correlations we observed between the proteins (total and protein bands) and sperm quality parameters were negative correlations.…”