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Comparative Study on the Sperm Proteomes of Horses and Donkeys
by
Hong Ren
1,2,†, 
Xin Wen
1,2,†,
Qianqian He
1,2,
Minna Yi
1,2,
Manglai Dugarjaviin
1,2,* and
Gerelchimeg Bou
1,2,*
1
Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
2
Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Animals 2024, 14(15), 2237; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14152237 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 29 June 2024
/
Revised: 25 July 2024
/
Accepted: 30 July 2024
/
Published: 31 July 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Equine Genetics and Breeding)
Simple Summary
This study identified the protein expression profiles of horse and donkey sperm and investigated the effect of sperm proteins on sperm viability. In short, we first assessed the viability of horse and donkey sperm, revealing higher viability in donkey sperm compared to horse sperm. Subsequently, 4D-DIA protein-sequencing technology was employed to identify 3436 proteins expressed in horse sperm and 3404 proteins expressed in donkey sperm, with 73 proteins specific to horse sperm, and 41 specific to donkey sperm. Further analysis established a correlation between sperm proteins and sperm viability. These findings are significant in elucidating the reproductive variances and evolutionary relationships between horses and donkeys.
Abstract
The reproductive performance of horse sperm and donkey sperm has been reported to differ. Sperm proteins play a crucial role in sperm viability and fertility. Although differences between species are known, no prior study has investigated disparities in the sperm proteome between horses and donkeys. Therefore, this study characterized and compared the sperm proteomes of horses and donkeys using 4D-DIA mass spectrometry technology. We identified 3436 proteins in horse sperm and 3404 proteins in donkey sperm. Of these, 3363 proteins were expressed in both horse and donkey sperm, with 73 proteins being specifically expressed in horse sperm, and 41 in donkey sperm. According to data analysis, donkeys exhibited a greater percentage of motility and progressive movement in straight-line sperm than horses, as well as lower percentages of static and slow sperm than horses. Joint analysis of the results from the horse and donkey sperm proteomes and their CEROS II-read parameters demonstrated a possible association between sperm proteins and their sperm viability patterns. These findings suggest that there are discrepancies in the expression levels and protein compositions of horse and donkey sperm and that certain specific proteins may be responsible for the differences in performance between these two species.
