Semen Sexing in Bovine: Current Status and the Need to Develop Alternative Techniques

Authors

  • Himani Joshi Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
  • Manya Mathur Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
  • AK Mohanty Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
  • Sudarshan Kumar Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
  • JK Kaushik Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
  • TK Mohanty Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
  • Dharmendra Kumar Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
  • Sumit Kumar Singh Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
  • Vanya Bhushan Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
  • Abhishek Parashar Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
  • Preeti Bhardwaj Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
  • Vinod Kumar Yata Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48165/aru.2021.1203

Keywords:

Semen sexing, Sex sorted semen, X and Y sperm, DNA

Abstract

Livestock industry is one of the important pillars for country economy. Sperm sexing has the potential of significantly improving the quality and quantity of production in the livestock industries. Over years several attempts, involving several different parameters of sperm cells, have been made to develop an efficient sperm sorting procedure. Till date, the only commercially available method for bovine sperm is flow cytometry. The disadvantages associated with this approach, however, points towards the need for developing a more non-invasive and cost efficient approach for separation of X and Y chromosome bearing spermatozoa. In this review paper, we attempt to highlight all the previously developed approaches, as well as other emerging immunological and proteomics based methods that might have the potential of being developed as a promising breakthrough approach for semen sexing. Furthermore, we discuss the advantages and applications of semen sexing in India and around the world.

Author Biography

  • AK Mohanty, Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India
    A K Mohanty, Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India

    Corresponding author email id: ashokmohanty1@gmail.com
    $ Present address: Joint Director, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar, Uttarakhand

    Himani Joshi#, Manya Mathur#
    # Contributed equally

References

Ali JI, Eldridge FE, Koo GC, Schanbacher BD. Enrichment of bovine X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm with monoclonal H-Y antibody-fluorescence-activated cell sorter. Arch Androl. 1990;24(3):235-45. doi: 10.3109/01485019008987580.

Arias ME, Andara K, Briones E, Felmer R. Bovine sperm separation by Swim-up and density gradients (Percoll and BoviPure): Effect on sperm quality, function and gene expression. Reprod Biol. 2017;17(2):126-132. doi: 10.1016/j.repbio.2017.03.002.

Ashok PC, Dholakia K. Microfluidic raman spectroscopy for bio-chemical sensing and analysis. In: Fritzsche W., Popp J. (eds) Optical Nano- and Microsystems for Bioanalytics. Springer Series on Chemical Sensors and Biosensors (Methods and Applications), 2012; 10. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25498-7_9.

Asma-Ul-Husna, Awan MA, Mehmood A, Sultana T, Shahzad Q, Ansari MS, Rakha BA, Saqlan Naqvi SM, Akhter S. Sperm sexing in Nili-Ravi buffalo through modified swim up: Validation using SYBR® green real-time PCR. Anim Reprod Sci. 2017;182:69-76. doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2017.04.011.

Barlow P, Vosa CG. The Y chromosome in human spermatozoa. Nature. 1970 Jun 6;226(5249):961-2. doi: 10.1038/226961a0.

Bean B. Progenitive sex ratio among functioning sperm cells. Am J Hum Genet. 1990;47(2):351-3.

Bennett D, Boyse EA. Sex ratio in progeny of mice inseminated with sperm treated with H-Y antiserum. Nature. 1973;246(5431):308-9. doi: 10.1038/246308a0.

Bhalakiya N, Haque N, Patel D, Chaudhari A, Patel G, Madhavatar M, Patel P, Hossain S, Kumar R. Sperm sexing an its application in livestock sector. Int J Curr Microbiol App Sci. 2018;7: 259-272.

Bisla A, Rautela R, Yadav V, Singh P, Kumar A, Ghosh S, Kumar A, Bag S, Kumar B, Srivastava N. Nano-purification of raw semen minimises oxidative stress with improvement in post-thaw quality of buffalo spermatozoa. Andrologia. 2020;52(9):e13709. doi: 10.1111/and.13709.

Brito L, Vishwanath R, Heuer C, Evans K. Bovine sexed semen production and utilization. Clinical Theriogenology, 2019;11(3): 297-315.

Buragohain L, Nanda T, Ghosh A, Ghosh M, Kumar R, Kumar S, Gupta SS, Bharali A, Mohanty AK, Singh I, Balhara AK. Identification of serum protein markers for early diagnosis of pregnancy in buffalo. Anim Sci J. 2017;88(8):1189-1197. doi: 10.1111/asj.12754.

Chalinee P, Leksakul, K, Wanta, T, Khamlor T, Phatthanakun R. Antibody-conjugated magnetic beads for sperm sexing by a multi-wall carbon nanotube microfluidic device. Research Square. 2021. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-646645/v1.

Chen X, Yue Y, He Y, Zhu H, Hao H, Zhao X, Qin T, Wang D. Identification and characterization of genes differentially expressed in X and Y sperm using suppression subtractive hybridization and cDNA microarray. Mol Reprod Dev. 2014;81(10):908-17. doi: 10.1002/mrd.22386.

Chowdhury MMR, Lianguang X, Kong R, Park BY, Mesalam A, Joo MD, Afrin F, Jin JI, Lim HT, Kong IK. In vitro production of sex preselected cattle embryos using a monoclonal antibody raised against bull sperm epitopes. Anim Reprod Sci. 2019;205:156-164. doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2018.11.006.

De Canio M, Soggiu A, Piras C, Bonizzi L, Galli A, Urbani A, Roncada P. Differential protein profile in sexed bovine semen: shotgun proteomics investigation. Mol Biosyst. 2014;10(6):1264-71. doi: 10.1039/c3mb70306a.

De Luca AC, Managó S, Ferrara MA, Rendina I, Sirleto L, Puglisi R, Balduzzi D, Galli A, Ferraro P, Coppola G. Non-invasive sex assessment in bovine semen by Raman spectroscopy. Laser Phys. Lett. 2014;11(5):055604.

Domínguez E, Moreno-Irusta A, Castex HR, Bragulat AF, Ugaz C, Clemente H, Giojalas L, Losinno L. Sperm sexing mediated by magnetic nanoparticles in donkeys, a preliminary in vitro study. J Equine Vet Sci. 2018; 65: 123-127. Doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2018.04.005.

Ferrara MA, Di Caprio G, Managò S, De Angelis A, Sirleto L, Coppola G, De Luca AC. Label-free imaging and biochemical characterization of bovine sperm cells. Biosensors. 2015;5(2):141-57. doi: 10.3390/bios5020141.

Gamrad L, Mancini R, Werner D, Tiedemann D, Taylor U, Ziefuß A, Rehbock C, Klein S, Kues W, Barcikowski S, Rath D. Triplex-hybridizing bioconjugated gold nanoparticles for specific Y-chromosome sequence targeting of bull spermatozoa. Analyst. 2017;142(11):2020-2028. doi: 10.1039/c6an02461k.

Garner DL, Evans KM, Seidel GE. Sex-sorting sperm using flow cytometry/cell sorting. Methods Mol Biol. 2013;927:279-95. doi: 10.1007/978-1-62703-038-0_26.

Garner DL. Flow cytometric sexing of mammalian sperm. Theriogenology. 2006;65(5):943-57. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2005.09.009.

Garner DL. Hoechst 33342: the dye that enabled differentiation of living X-and Y-chromosome bearing mammalian sperm. Theriogenology. 2009;71(1):11-21. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2008.09.023.

Goldberg EH, Boyse EA, Bennett D, Scheid M, Carswell EA. Serological demonstration of H-Y (male) antigen on mouse sperm. Nature. 1971;232(5311):478-80. doi: 10.1038/232478a0.

González-Marín C, Góngora CE, Gilligan TB, Evans KM, Moreno JF, Vishwanath R. In vitro sperm quality and DNA integrity of SexedULTRA™ sex-sorted sperm compared to non-sorted bovine sperm. Theriogenology. 2018;114:40-45. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2018.03.025.

Hendriksen PJ. Do X and Y spermatozoa differ in proteins? Theriogenology. 1999;52(8):1295-307. doi: 10.1016/s0093-691x(99)00218-6.

Howes EA, Miller NG, Dolby C, Hutchings A, Butcher GW, Jones R. A search for sex-specific antigens on bovine spermatozoa using immunological and biochemical techniques to compare the protein profiles of X and Y chromosome-bearing sperm populations separated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. J Reprod Fertil. 1997;110(2):195-204. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.1100195.

Hu YC, Namekawa SH. Functional significance of the sex chromosomes during spermatogenesis. Reproduction. 2015;149(6):R265-77. doi: 10.1530/REP-14-0613.

Joezy-Shekalgorabi S, Maghsoudi A, Mansourian MR. Reproductive performance of sexed versus conventional semen in Holstein heifers in various semiarid regions of Iran. Italian J Anim Sci. 2017;16(4):666-672. Doi:10.1080/1828051X.2017.1321473.

Kaneko S, Yamaguchi J, Kobayashi T, Iizuka R. Separation of human X- and Y-bearing sperm using percoll density gradient centrifugation. Fertil Steril. 1983;40(5):661-5. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)47427-3.

Kumar A, Vineeth MR, Sinha R, Singh RK, Thakur A, Gupta SK. Current status, scope and constraints of sexed semen-An Indian perspective. Agricultural Reviews. 2016; 37(3):240-244.

Lush JL. The possibility of sex control by artificial insemination with centrifuged spermatozoa. J Agric Res. 1925;30(10):893-913.

Manzoor A, Patoo RA, Akram T, Shah AA, Nazir T. Sperm sexing and its utility in commercial cattle production: A review. Adv Anim Vet Sci. 2017; 5(7): 293-298.

Nakao S, Takeo T, Watanabe H, Kondoh G, Nakagata N. Successful selection of mouse sperm with high viability and fertility using microfluidics chip cell sorter. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):8862. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-65931-z.

Naniwa Y, Sakamoto Y, Toda S, Uchiyama K. Bovine sperm sex-selection technology in Japan. Reprod Med Biol. 2018;18(1):17-26. doi: 10.1002/rmb2.12235.

Navarro-Costa PA, Molaro A, Misra CS, Meiklejohn CD, Ellis PJ. Sex and suicide: The curious case of Toll-like receptors. PLoS Biol. 2020;18(3):e3000663. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000663.

Neculai-Valeanu AS, Ariton AM. Game-Changing Approaches in Sperm Sex-Sorting: Microfluidics and Nanotechnology. Animals (Basel). 2021;11(4):1182. doi: 10.3390/ani11041182.

Paulo AN-C, Antoine M, Chandra SM, Colin DM, Peter JE. Intercellular bridges connect developing male germ cells. PLOS Biology. 2020. Doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3000663.g001.

Quelhas J, Santiago J, Matos B, Rocha A, Lopes G, Fardilha M. Bovine semen sexing: Sperm membrane proteomics as candidates for immunological selection of X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm. Vet Med Sci. 2021;7(5):1633-1641. doi: 10.1002/vms3.540.

Rahman MS, Pang MG. New Biological Insights on X and Y Chromosome-Bearing Spermatozoa. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2020;7:388. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00388.

Rathje CC, Johnson EEP, Drage D, Patinioti C, Silvestri G, Affara NA, Ialy-Radio C, Cocquet J, Skinner BM, Ellis PJI. Differential Sperm Motility Mediates the Sex Ratio Drive Shaping Mouse Sex Chromosome Evolution. Curr Biol. 2019;29(21):3692-3698.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.09.031.

Reinsalu O, Scheler O, Mikelsaar R, Mikelsaar AV, Hallap T, Jaakma Ü, Padrik P, Kavak A, Salumets A, Kurg A. A dual colour FISH method for routine validation of sexed Bos taurus semen. BMC Vet Res. 2019;15(1):104. doi: 10.1186/s12917-019-1839-3.

Sarkar S, Jolly DJ, Friedman T, Jones OW. Swimming behaviour of X and Y human sperm. Differentiation. 1984; 27: 120-125.

Scott C, de Souza FF, Aristizabal VHV, Hethrington L, Krisp C, Molloy M, Baker MA, Dell'Aqua JA Junior. Proteomic profile of sex-sorted bull sperm evaluated by SWATH-MS analysis. Anim Reprod Sci. 2018;198:121-128. doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2018.09.010.

Shen D, Zhou C, Cao M, Cai W, Yin H, Jiang L, Zhang S. Differential Membrane Protein Profile in Bovine X- and Y-Sperm. J Proteome Res. 2021;20(6):3031-3042. doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00358.

Soggiu A, Piras C, Hussein HA, De Canio M, Gaviraghi A, Galli A, Urbani A, Bonizzi L, Roncada P. Unravelling the bull fertility proteome. Mol Biosyst. 2013;9(6):1188-95. doi: 10.1039/c3mb25494a.

Soleymani B, Mansouri K, Rastegari-Pouyani M, Parvaneh S, Khademi F, Sharifi Tabar M, Mostafaie A. Production of monoclonal antibody against recombinant bovine sex-determining region Y (SRY) and their preferential binding to Y chromosome-bearing sperm. Reprod Domest Anim. 2021;56(2):270-277. doi: 10.1111/rda.13821.

Soleymani B, Parvaneh S, Mostafaie A. Goat Polyclonal Antibody Against the Sex Determining Region Y to Separate X- and Y-Chromosome Bearing Spermatozoa. Rep Biochem Mol Biol. 2019;8(3):326-334.

Steele H, Makri D, Maalouf WE, Reese S, Kölle S. Bovine Sperm Sexing Alters Sperm Morphokinetics and Subsequent Early Embryonic Development. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):6255. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-63077-6.

Thaworn W, Hongsibsong S, Thongkham M, Mekchay S, Pattanawong W, Sringarm K. Production of single-chain fragment variable (scFv) antibodies specific to plasma membrane epitopes on bull Y-bearing sperm. Anim Biotechnol. 2020:1-11. doi: 10.1080/10495398.2020.1811294.

Umehara T, Tsujita N, Shimada M. Activation of Toll-like receptor 7/8 encoded by the X chromosome alters sperm motility and provides a novel simple technology for sexing sperm. PLoS Biol. 2019;17(8):e3000398. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000398.

Umezu K, Hiradate Y, Numabe T, Hara K, Tanemura K. Effects on glycocalyx structures of frozen-thawed bovine sperm induced by flow cytometry and artificial capacitation. J Reprod Dev. 2017;63(5):473-480. doi: 10.1262/jrd.2017-065.

Wongtawan T, Dararatana N, Thongkittidilok C, Kornmatitsuk S, Oonkhanond B. Enrichment of bovine X-sperm using microfluidic dielectrophoretic chip: A proof-of- concept study. Heliyon. 2020;6(11):e05483. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05483.

Yadav HP, Sahu SK, Lone SA, Nadeem S, Ajeet S, Verma UK, Baithalu RK, Mohanty TK. Advances in sperm sexing in bovines. J Exp Zool India. 2018; 21(1):1-9.

Yadav SK, Gangwar DK, Singh J, Tikadar CK, Khanna VV, Saini S, Dholpuria S, Palta P, Manik RS, Singh MK, Singla SK. An immunological approach of sperm sexing and different methods for identification of X- and Y-chromosome bearing sperm. Vet World. 2017;10(5):498-504. doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2017.498-504.

Downloads

Published

2021-11-03

How to Cite

Joshi, H., Mathur, M., Mohanty, A., Kumar, S., Kaushik, J., Mohanty, T., … Yata, V.K. (2021). Semen Sexing in Bovine: Current Status and the Need to Develop Alternative Techniques. Animal Reproduction Update , 1(1), 17–31. https://doi.org/10.48165/aru.2021.1203