Affiliation:
1. Department of Animal Science Federal University of Ceará Fortaleza Brazil
2. Laboratório de Biotecnologia Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia Bucaramanga Colombia
3. Department of Biology Federal University of Viçosa Viçosa Brazil
4. Laboratório de Biotecnologia Universidade Do Vale Do Taquari Lajeado Brazil
5. Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry University of Brasília Brasilia Brazil
Abstract
AbstractThe present study was conducted to investigate the global proteome of 8‐day‐old equine blastocysts. Follicular dynamics of eight adult mares were monitored by ultrasonography and inseminated 24 h after the detection of a preovulatory follicle. Four expanded blastocysts were recovered, pooled, and subjected to protein extraction and mass spectrometry. Protein identification was conducted based on four database searches (PEAKS, Proteome Discoverer software, SearchGUI software, and PepExplorer). Enrichment analysis was performed using g:Profiler, Panther, and String platforms. After the elimination of identification redundancies among search tools (at three levels, based on identifiers, peptides, and cross‐database mapping), 1977 proteins were reliably identified in the samples of equine embryos. Proteomic analysis unveiled robust metabolic activity in the 8‐day equine embryo, highlighted by an abundance of proteins engaged in key metabolic pathways like the TCA cycle, ATP biosynthesis, and glycolysis. The prevalence of chaperones among highly abundant proteins suggests that regulation of protein folding, and degradation is a key process during embryo development. These findings pave the way for developing new strategies to improve equine embryo media and optimize in vitro fertilization techniques.