Animal Reproduction Science 176 (2017) 20–31

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Animal Reproduction Science

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/anireprosci

Proteome of the rete testis fluid from tropically-adapted

Morada Nova rams
Mauricio Fraga van Tilburg a , Solange Damasceno Sousa b ,
Révila Bianca Ferreira de Melo b , Frederico B. Moreno c ,
Ana Cristina Monteiro-Moreira c , Renato A. Moreira c ,
Arlindo de Alencar Moura b,∗
a
Biotechnology and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Ceará State University, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
b
Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
c
Department of Pharmacy, The University of Fortaleza, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The rete testis has a close relationship with sperm development and may have other func-
Received 7 July 2016 tions besides serving as an intercalated channel. The aim of this study was to identify and
Received in revised form 6 November 2016 characterize the proteins of rete testis fluid (RTF) from tropically-adapted Morada Nova
Accepted 17 November 2016
rams. Testicles obtained from six Morada Nova rams were dissected and the head of the
Available online 22 November 2016
epididymis was separated to access the efferent ducts. Rete testis fluid was obtained by
gentle massage of the testis. The fluid was centrifuged to remove cell debris and sperm.
Keywords:
RTF samples (containing 400 ␮g protein) were separated by 2-D SDS-PAGE and gels, ana-
Rete testis
lyzed using PDQuest software (Bio Rad, USA). Proteins were identified using tandem mass
Proteome
ram spectrometry. Gene ontology and protein network were analyzed using the software tool
2-D electrophoresis for searching annotations of proteins (STRAP) and STRING database. Gels had, on average,
227 ± 13.5 spots and 51% of the proteins were found above 40 kDa, corresponding to 65% of
the intensity of all spots detected. Based on gene ontology analysis, the most common bio-
logical processes associated with RTF proteins were regulation (24.3%) and cellular process
(23.3%). Binding (27.3%) and catalytic activity (19.3%) corresponded to the most frequent
molecular functions. Albumin, clusterin, serotransferrin, immunoglobulin gamma-1 chain
and alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein were the most abundant proteins in the ram rete testis fluid. In
conclusion, proteins identified in the ram rete testis fluid are linked to several physiological
processes associated with sperm protection and spermatogenesis.
© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction performing distinct roles at different stages of fertilization

Seminal fluid is a secretion produced by the testicles,
epididymis and accessory sex glands (Mann and L-Mann,
1981). Proteins are the most abundant component of sem-
inal plasma and they act in sperm metabolism, besides
∗ Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: arlindo.moura@gmail.com,
amoura@ufc.br (A. de Alencar Moura).
(Pilch and Mann, 2006). Moreover, protein composition
of seminal fluid from some domestic species has been
mapped by several methods and the proteomic analysis of
reproductive tract fluids provides information about mech-
anisms determining the fertilizing capacity of sperm, as
well as about events occurring during spermatogenesis
and epididymal maturation (Urner and Sakkas, 2003). Dur-
ing spermiation, elongated mature spermatids are released
from the Sertoli cells into the lumen of the seminiferous

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anireprosci.2016.11.004
0378-4320/© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.