Abstract
Proteins play an important role in many reproductive functions such as sperm maturation, sperm transit in the female genital tract or sperm-oocyte interaction. However, in general, little information concerning reproductive features is available in the case of aquatic animals. The present study aims to characterize the proteome of both spermatozoa and seminal plasma of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) as a model organism for cetaceans. Ejaculate samples were obtained from two trained dolphins housed in an aquarium. Spermatozoa and seminal plasma were analyzed by means of proteomic analyses using an LC-MS/MS, and a list with the gene symbols corresponding to each protein was submitted to the DAVID database. Of the 419 proteins identified in spermatozoa and 303 in seminal plasma, 111 proteins were shared by both. Furthermore, 70 proteins were identified as involved in reproductive processes, 39 in spermatozoa, and 31 in seminal plasma. The five most abundant proteins were also identified in these samples: AKAP3, ODF2, TUBB, GSTM3, ROPN1 for spermatozoa and CST11, LTF, ALB, HSP90B1, PIGR for seminal plasma. In conclusion, this study provides the first characterization of the proteome in cetacean sperm and seminal plasma, opening the way to future research into new biomarkers, the analysis of conservation capacity or possible additional applications in the field of assisted reproductive technologies.
Highlights
Cetaceans, aquatic mammals from the Cetacea infraorder, are considered essential for marine ecosystems (Bowen, 1997; Uhen, 2007)
The Supplementary File 4 shows the list of the common proteins between spermatozoa and seminal plasma
The number of co-present seminal proteins were: (i) bull and dolphin, 218; (ii) man and dolphin, 213; and (iii) dog and dolphin, 51. These proteins are listed in Supplementary File 5 and Supplementary File 6
Summary
Aquatic mammals from the Cetacea infraorder, are considered essential for marine ecosystems (Bowen, 1997; Uhen, 2007). This is why cetaceans are protected under many national, regional and international legislations including Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which limits the movement of animals or their products between countries Study of their populations in the wild involves many limitations (Bowen, 1997; O’Brien and Robeck, 2010) and, in most cases, it is not possible to keep individuals in captivity due to their size, their gregarious population structure or other peculiarities of their ethology that make their ex situ maintenance highly difficult or almost impossible.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
