Testis-specific isozyme of angiotensin converting enzyme (tACE) as a fertility marker in bulls

即使是小幅提高牛的繁殖率，也会大大提高生产率。因此，研究提高繁殖效率对乳品行业具有重要意义。在被归类为满意的冷冻精液样本(基于传统的精液评估)中，受精率差异为20%-25%，这意味着商业人工智能中心维护的精英公牛的精子在结构和功能上存在亚微观差异。了解精子受精能力变异的分子基础将在乳制品行业有许多应用，因为它将使我们能够：1)将精子功能变异的遗传基础纳入公牛选择模型，以在尽可能早的年龄选择具有高繁殖力的公牛；2)确定新的公牛管理策略(例如营养)，以调节调节繁殖力的基因的表达；以及3)识别能够使人工智能行业能够开发实验室测试来精确记录冷冻精液的受精率并使它们能够保持在全球市场上竞争力的分子标记。我们的实验室致力于了解精子功能的分子基础。这项建议的目的是研究睾丸特异的血管紧张素转换酶同工酶(TACE；一种精子膜蛋白)作为公牛受精标记的潜力。我们期待这个与乳品行业的合作项目将阐明TACE在公牛受精中的作用，为学术界和工业界培养高素质的个人，并促进开发新的实验室分析方法，以预测冷冻精液的受精率。我们的长期目标是产生关于精子功能的分子调控的新知识，并将这些知识转化为行业层面的应用，用于公牛选择和冷冻精液的评估。

Even a modest increase in the reproductive rate in cattle substantially enhances productivity. Therefore, research to improve reproductive efficiency is important for the dairy industry. Fertility varies 20-25% among frozen semen samples classified as satisfactory (based on traditional semen evaluation), implying there are submicroscopic differences in the structure and function of sperm from elite bulls maintained in commercial AI centers. Understanding the molecular basis of these variations in the fertilizing ability of sperm will have numerous applications in the dairy industry, as it will enable us to: 1) incorporate the genetic basis of variations in sperm function into bull selection models to select bulls with high fertility at their earliest possible age; 2) determine novel strategies for bull calf management (for example, nutrition) for modulating the expression of genes regulating fertility; and 3) identify molecular markers for fertility which will enable AI industries to develop laboratory tests for precisely documenting fertility of frozen semen and enable them to remain competitive in the global market. Our laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular basis of sperm function. The objective of this proposal is to investigate the potential of a testis-specific isozyme of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (tACE; a sperm membrane protein) as a fertility marker in dairy bulls. We expect that this collaborative project with dairy industries will elucidate the role of tACE in bull fertility, train highly qualified individual for academia and industry, and facilitate development of novel laboratory assays for predicting fertility of frozen semen at their earliest possible age. Our long-term goal is to generate new knowledge regarding molecular regulation of sperm function and translate this knowledge to applications at the industry level for bull selection and evaluation of frozen semen.