Note: This research line is admitting students for carrying out a PhD project!
We have been granted a new project from the National R&D Program, with the title: “Assessment of DNA damage by qPCR and presence of the apoptotic marker PARP in ruminant spermatozoa: factors, effect on fertility and remediation”. This project, led by Dr. Felipe Martínez-Pastor, counts with the collaboration of Dr. Alireza Fazeli, from the University of Sheffield (UK).
These are excellent news in a difficult moment for obtaining R&D funding in Spain. This project allows starting a new research line in the group, aimed at assessing damage in the genetic material of ruminant spermatozoa. Instead of using conventional and unspecific techniques, such as TUNEL, Comet or SCSA, we are using qPCR for quantifying DNA breaks in specific sequences. Moreover, we are also interested in quantifying telomere length, since many artificial reproductive techniques cause telomere shortening, which might have serious consequences in the offspring.
We are also assessing the relationship among the presence of the cleaved for of poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) with DNA damage. PARP is involved in DNA repair in somatic cells and it is cleaved in some apoptotic pathways. This is the first time that PARP is being assessed in ruminant spermatozoa, promising exciting findings.
You can find more information about this project in the section on research lines of our website.
We have attended the International Symposium on Spermatology in Okinawa (Japan). This meeting takes place each 4 years, attracting the forefront researchers in the field of spermatology. The main topics discussed in the meeting have been related to sperm chemotaxis, biochemistry, DNA damage, and fertilization mechanisms. Pretty much molecular biology and basic mechanisms of the spermatozoa in a very wide range of taxons.
We contributed with five posters:
Tamayo J et al. 2010. Cryopreservation of ram spermatozoa recovered post-mortem using different egg yolk and glycerol concentrations. Proc. 11th ISS, p. 64.
López-Urueña E et al. 2010. Omission of the refrigeration-equilibration steps in the feezing protocol for Cantabric brown bear sperm impairs motility reesilience after thawing. Proc. 11th ISS, p. 66.
Horvath A et al. 2010. Cryopreservation of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) sperm in large volumes and subsequent effect of ovarian fluid on sperm activation. Proc. 11th ISS, p. 78.
Mata-Campuzano M et al. 2010. Ram sperm-head morphometry varies among ejaculates collected in different dates. Proc. 11th ISS, p. 82.
Martínez-Pastor F et al. 2010. HSPA8, an oviductal protein, helps maintaining the quality of refrigerated ram semen. Proc. 11th ISS, p. 82.
Our group has attended the 2010 meeting of AERA (Cáceres, Spain), presenting the following reports:
Plenary presentation:
F. Martínez-Pastor et al. Probes and Techniques for Sperm Evaluation by Flow Cytometry. Reprod Domest Anim 45:67-68.
Oral communications:
E. López-Urueña et al. Evolution of kinetic parameters of thawed spermatozoa from brown bear during incubation at 37 °C. Reprod Domest Anim 45:82.
M. Ramón et al. The use of R statistical software to analyze flow cytometry data. Reprod Domest Anim 45:80.
Posters:
S. Alves et al. Descriptive study of electroejaculated and epididymal sperm from a llama (Lama glama). Reprod Domest Anim 45:100.
M. Nicolás et al. Comparison of two cryopreservation extenders for dog semen based on TES-Tris-Fructose or the Tris-Citric acid-Glucose. Reprod Domest Anim 45:88.
L. Ordás et al. Suitability of the Integrated Semen Analysis System(R) (ISAS) sperm counting chambers for motility assessment. Reprod Domest Anim 45:102.
In this meeting we had the opportunity to meet researchers from many groups working in animal reproduction in Spain, Portugal and some Latin American countries.
La DiCYT ha publicado de nuevo una noticia sobre nosotros. En el artículo “Las cabezas de los espermatozoides de carneros poseen variabilidad por razones genéticas y ambientales“, se recoge un resumen de un trabajo publicado en Theriogenology (vol. 73, 437-448). Esta noticia ha aparecido ya en otros medios, como Leonoticias.
Este trabajo forma parte de la tesis doctoral de Alejandro Maroto, del Grupo de Biología de la Reproducción de la UCLM/IREC. En breve, se publicarán nuevos avances en esta línea de investigación, dedicada a mejorar la congelación de semen de carnero manchego.
Agradecemos al CERSYRA de Valdepeñas y a las ganaderías de ovino manchego su colaboración para hacer posible este estudio.
