Alteration of sperm protein profile induced by cigarette smoking

• Published in: Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica Vol. 47; no. 7; pp. 504 - 515
• Main Authors: Chen, Xiaohui, Xu, Wangjie, Miao, Maohua, Zhu, Zijue, Dai, Jingbo, Chen, Zhong, Fang, Peng, Wu, Junqing, Nie, Dongsheng, Wang, Lianyun, Wang, Zhaoxia, Qiao, Zhongdong, Shi, Huijuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China 01.07.2015
• Subjects: Animals; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nicotiana; Oxygen - metabolism; Proteins - metabolism; Smoking - metabolism; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Spermatozoa - metabolism; Western印迹; 二维凝胶电泳; 吸烟者; 差异表达; 精子蛋白; 精液质量; 蛋白质; 质谱分析; cigarette smoking; mass spectrometry; protein profile; sperm; male fertility
• ISSN: 1672-9145; 1745-7270
• DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmv045

Cigarette smoking is associated with lower semen quality, but how cigarette smoking changes the semen quality remains unclear. The aim of this study was to screen the differentially expressed proteins in the sperm of mice with daily exposure to cigarette smoke. The 2D gel electrophoresis （2DE） and mass spectrometry （MS） analyses results showed that the mouse sperm protein profile was altered by cigarette smoking. And 22 of the most abundant proteins that correspond to differentially expressed spots in 2DE gels of the sperm samples were identified. These proteins were classified into different groups based on their functions, such as energy metabolism, reproduction, and struc- tural molecules. Furthermore, the 2DE and MS results of five proteins （Aldoa, ATP5al, Gpx4, Cs, and Spatcl） were validated by western blot analysis and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reac- tion. Results showed that except Spatcl the other four proteins showed statistically significant differ- ent protein levels between the smoking group and the control group （P〈 0.05）. The expressions of three genes （Aldoa, Gpx4, and Spatcl） were significantly different （P〈 0.05） at transcription level between the smoking group and the control group. In addition, five proteins （Aldoa, ATP5al, Spatcl, Cs, and Gpx4） in human sperm samples from 30 male smokers and 30 non-smokers were detected by western blot analysis. Two proteins （Aldoa and Cs） that are associated with energy production were found to be significantly altered, suggesting that these proteins may be potential diagnostic markers for evaluation of smoking risk in sperm. Further study of these proteins may provide insight into the pathogenic mechanisms underlying infertility in smoking persons.