title: New insight into the castrated mouse epididymis based on comparative proteomics.
abstract: The mammalian epididymis is an important male accessory gland where the spermatozoa gain the ability to fertilise the egg. To further understand the effects of testicular factors on the epididymis, the proteome of castrated adult mice and sham controls was compared using high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis following identification of proteins by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Twenty-three differentially expressed proteins (11 upregulated and 12 downregulated) were identified in epididymides from castrated. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that these castration-responsive proteins participated in energy metabolism and the antigen processing and presentation pathway. The differential expression levels were further validated by western blotting. The differentially expressed proteins may serve as potential candidates in studies of epididymal function and male infertility.
authors: Central Laboratory, Yantai Yu-Huang-Ding Hospital, Qingdao University, Yantai 264000, Shandong, China.
authors: Xin
authors: X
authors: Liu
authors: Reproduction Medical Center, Yantai Yu-Huang-Ding Hospital, Qingdao University, Yantai 264000, Shandong, China.
authors: Wenjuan
authors: W
authors: Wang
authors: Central Laboratory, Yantai Yu-Huang-Ding Hospital, Qingdao University, Yantai 264000, Shandong, China.
authors: FuJun
authors: F
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002369:Castration; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004822:Epididymis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D040901:Proteomics; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*; D015854:Up-Regulation