Differential Proteomic Analysis of Carbon Ion Radiation in Sheep Sperm

This study is first to investigate proteomic changes in sheep sperm induced by carbon ion radiation using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) analysis in the project of breeding a new variety of sheep. Differential expression proteins were detected using the PDQuest 8.0 software after staining with Coomassie blue. Valid spots were then analyzed through liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Among the 480 total protein spots displayed in 2-D gels, 6 specific protein spots were observed in sperm gels. A search against protein sequences in the National Center for Biotechnology Information databases (NCBI) indicated that differentially expressed proteins correspond to two proteins, identified to be enolase and transcription factor AP-2-alpha (TFAP-2α). The two proteins were up-regulated in the irradiated sperm. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to identify proteomic changes induced by carbon ion radiation in sheep sperm. The analysis of differential expression protein may be useful in identifying new breeding markers in sheep reproduction and in clarifying the mechanisms involved in irradiation or space breeding.