Abstract
Semen analysis is used for diagnosing male infertility and evaluating male fertility for more than a century. However, the semen analysis simply represents the population characteristics of sperm. It is not a comprehensive assessment of the male reproductive potential. In this study, 20 semen samples from human sperm bank with distinctive artificial insemination with donor sperm (AID) clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed using a two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE); 45 differentially expressed protein spots were obtained, and 26 proteins were identified. Most differentially expressed proteins were related to sperm motility, energy consumption, and structure. These identified proteins included several sperm proteins associated with the nucleus on the X chromosome (SPANX) proteins. This prospective study aimed to investigate the association between the expression levels of SPANX proteins and the AID clinical outcomes. The proteins identified in this study provided a reference for the molecular mechanism of sperm fertility and revealed a predictive value of the SPANX proteins.
Highlights
The standard semen analysis is symptomatic diagnosis and reflects the population characteristics of sperm seen under the microscope
In gel 1, a 50-μg sperm protein extract of a high-fecundity group was labeled with Cy3, whereas a 50-μg extract of a low-fecundity group was labeled with Cy5
After 2D gel electrophoresis, the Cy2, Cy3, and Cy5 channels were individually imaged from the gels using mutually exclusive excitation and emission wavelengths (Fig. 1)
Summary
The standard semen analysis is symptomatic diagnosis and reflects the population characteristics of sperm seen under the microscope. Within 5–10 AID treatment cycles, the sperms of some donors reached the upper limit of pregnancies www.nature.com/scientificreports/. A group of differentially regulated proteins was identified, and subsequent bioinformatics analyses indicated that these proteins were essential to a variety of cellular processes and structures, including spermatogenesis, cell signaling, cell skeleton, and metabolism. Among these identified proteins, several sperm proteins associated with the nucleus on the X chromosome (SPANX) proteins drew the attention of the researchers of this study. This study helped enhance the understanding of male fertility regulation, guiding the clinical diagnosis and treatment of male infertility
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