Sperm proteomics and genomics

Recent technical advances in high throughput protein analysis by mass spectroscopy (MS) have been successfully applied to the analysis and characterization of the Drosophila melanogaster sperm proteome (DmSP). Likewise, MS, in conjunction with commensurate advances in genomics and bioinformatics, has allowed evolutionary and functional analyses of the DmSP. This chapter presents a summary and overview of MS and proteomic approaches followed by a historical review of the study of the molecular basis of sperm using single-protein or single-gene approaches. It provides an in depth discussion of the systematic characterization of the DmSP and insights gained into the genomic and functional evolution of the genes encoding sperm proteins. The physical co-localization of sperm genes within the D. melanogaster genome is also reviewed in relation to the recent characterization of spermatozoal RNA and related hypotheses concerning their possible role in governing DNA packaging during spermatogenesis. Furthermore, it analyzes the possible implications that comparative evolutionary proteomics will have on understanding of sperm-egg and complex sperm-female interactions, infertility and the origins of sexual reproduction.