The origin of sex.

Scientists say a variety of different proteins discovered for the first time in sperm can reveal the origins of sex and explain some of the mysteries of infertility.

This study, published in Nature Genetics today, mentions 381 proteins in the sperm of Drosophila melanogaster.

While scientists can identify more and more proteins thanks to scientific advances, this study marks the first identification of ' whole cells ' of great importance, describing the High-level eukaryotic protein component (A cell in which all the genetic elements are in a cell nucleus).

Sperm of Drosophil fruit flies inside eggs (Photo: Bath University)

It is what is called a " proteome " (a protein system, which gathers all the proteins of a body / species) that contains everything that sperm needs to survive and function properly, and scientists. You can use proteome to study the factors, factors that can make some sperm more successful than other sperm.

In about half of the genes of fruit flies, proteomes have similar genotypes in humans and mice, so it is a useful model to study male infertility for mammals.

By comparing the proteome in fruit fly sperm with other species, scientists will be able to reverse the evolution and determine the core spermome protein - the most basic structural elements that a sperm need to perform sexual reproduction. This will shed light on how gender evolves.

' Surprisingly, we know very little about what is in the sperm, which can explain why we don't really understand gender, and of course, how gender evolves. How , 'said Dr. Tim Karr of Bath University, who led the study.

' Before we arrange sperm proteins, we only know some specific proteins in the sperm of Drosophila fruit flies .'

' By being able to compare the structure and composition of proteins in sperm of different species, we can understand the evolution and origin of sperm.'

' We now know at least 381 proteins, a 50-fold increase in the number of proteins we knew earlier in our knowledge base.'

Proteins perform many functions, from forming structural materials to catalyzing chemical reactions, so knowing exactly which protein in sperm is a big step forward in understanding.

This study involves purifying fruit fly sperm and developing methods to study their protein composition. Previous calculations of sperm protein composition were based on the total count of proteins, which were divided into 'spots' on the substrate, gel-like protein. However, these calculations only determine the total protein in the sperm - but not the specific characteristics of each protein constituent.

' Sperm proteome provides the basic foundation for studying important functional components of sperm, the functional components required to perform sperm movement, fertilization and development. The original embryo may occur later. ' Bath University Dr Steve Dorus, in collaboration with Dr. Karr, conducted the study.

'This could be a valuable method of studying fertilization when more and more targeted research is now possible on model organisms.'

'In addition, having a complete list of proteins for comparison between different species will show how natural selection has affected sperm evolution.'

'We can start searching for' core 'sperm proteomes - that is, the most basic structural elements required by sperm. This will not only clarify the evolutionary origin of the sperm, but it can also increase our understanding of the evolution of sex. '

This study also helps us better understand sperm ' competition ' - attributes that make a sperm more successful than its friends in meeting and fertilizing eggs.

'The question about sperm competition has made scientists headaches over the years.' Dr. Karr said.

'If we can answer the question of what makes a sperm more successful than other sperm, then we can apply this knowledge to clinical therapies for treating activated sperm. ineffective. '

These findings are particularly timely when many studies have begun to emphasize the increasingly important role of sperm.

Professor Geoff Parker said: 'This study provides remarkable pioneering analyzes of the molecular basis of sperm shape and function by identifying 381 proteins of spermatozoa of fruit flies Drosophila melanogaster, including mitochondrial, metabolic protein and cytoskeletal protein ".

'This work has a great relationship with the current debate about sperm properties, and can be applied to sperm function of mammals. The sperm protein of Drosophila fruit flies has considerable similarity to the axoneme secondary structure of the sperm of mice. '

Professor Manyuan Long, professor of genetics and evolution at the University of Chicago, said: 'This is an important research milestone in understanding the genome distribution of male-specific proteins. I am very surprised by their great efforts and great successes. '

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