Protein expression profile patterns of pesisir bulls’ seminal plasma in young and productive age groups through 1D-SDS-PAGE

¹ Graduate School of Animal Production and Technology, Faculty of Animal Science, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia.
² Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Islamic University of Kuantan Singing, Teluk Kuantan Riau, Indonesia.
³ Department of Animal Production and Technology, Faculty of Animal Science, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
⁴ Division of Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia1

^* Corresponding author: agunawan@apps.ipb.ac.id

Abstract

In this study, we comparatively evaluated sperm quality parameters and semen plasma protein profiles in young Pesisir bulls (< 2 years old) and productive adult bulls (4 years old). This study aimed to identify the protein profiles in semen plasma obtained from young and productive adult bulls (n = 6) using a 1D SDS-PAGE analysis approach. Sperm kinematics were evaluated using Computer-Assisted Sperm Analysis (CASA). The results showed no significant differences in semen quality between age groups, except for the Velocity Average Path (VAP) and total sperm motility, which were higher in adult bulls. Visualization of the protein bands on the gel revealed nine protein bands in semen plasma, classified based on molecular weight ranges: 10, 15–19, 20, 25, 26–37, 38–50, 51–74, 75, and 110 kDa, present in all age groups. In conclusion, protein profiling analysis using 1D SDS-PAGE successfully identified nine protein bands consistently associated with high motility levels in young and productive- aged bulls. These findings significantly expand our understanding of the reproductive aspects of pesisir cattle and provide opportunities for applying the molecular characteristics of semen plasma proteins as fertility markers in pesisir bulls.