Acute epididymitis induces alterations in sperm protein composition

• Published in: Fertility and sterility Vol. 101; no. 6; pp. 1609 - 1617.e5
• Main Authors: Pilatz, Adrian, M.D, Lochnit, Guenter, Ph.D, Karnati, Srikanth, Ph.D, Paradowska-Dogan, Agnieszka, Ph.D, Lang, Tali, Ph.D, Schultheiss, Dirk, M.D, Schuppe, Hans-Christian, M.D, Hossain, Hamid, M.D, Baumgart-Vogt, Eveline, Ph.D, Weidner, Wolfgang, M.D, Wagenlehner, Florian, M.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-06-2014
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adult; Case-Control Studies; Down-Regulation; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; Epididymitis; Epididymitis - complications; Epididymitis - metabolism; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Humans; Infertility, Male - etiology; Infertility, Male - metabolism; Internal Medicine; Male; male fertility; Middle Aged; Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases - metabolism; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Prospective Studies; Proteins - metabolism; proteome analysis; Proteomics - methods; semen quality; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Sperm Motility; Spermatozoa - metabolism; Time Factors; Tubulin - metabolism; Young Adult; Epididymitis; semen quality; male fertility; proteome analysis
• ISSN: 0015-0282; 1556-5653
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.03.011

Objective To use a proteomic approach to evaluate possible postinflammatory alterations in the protein composition of motile sperm in patients 3 months after acute epididymitis. Design Prospective case-control study. Setting University medical school research laboratory. Patient(s) Eight patients 3 months after acute unilateral epididymitis and 10 healthy controls. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Proteome analysis of sperm samples collected by swim-up from control and acute epididymitis patients analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and subsequent protein identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry; immunofluorescence staining for mitochondrial ATP synthase subunit β (ATP5B), α-tubulin (TUBA1A), and tubulin-β2c (TUBB4B) for validation purposes. Result(s) Proteome analysis identified 35 proteins in sperm from epididymitis patients that were down-regulated, irrespective of subcellular localization and biologic function. Furthermore, immunofluorescence microscopy confirmed ATP5B, TUBA1A, and TUBB4B were less abundantly expressed in epididymitis samples compared with controls. Conclusion(s) Despite normal semen parameters observed by conventional semen analysis in patients after epididymitis, significant changes to sperm protein composition were observed. These changes may be implicated as additional factors contributing to subfertility/infertility in men after episodes of epididymitis.