A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Immortalized mouse caput epididymal epithelial (mECap18) cell line recapitulates the in-vivo environment
Authors: Mulhall JE, Trigg NA, Bernstein IR, Anderson AL, Murray HC, Sipilä P, Lord T, Schjenken JE, Nixon B, Skerrett-Byrne DA
Publisher: WILEY
Publication year: 2023
Journal: Proteomics
Journal name in source: PROTEOMICS
Journal acronym: PROTEOMICS
Article number: 2300253
Number of pages: 9
ISSN: 1615-9853
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pmic.202300253
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1002/pmic.202300253
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/181421108
Residing between the testes and the vas deferens, the epididymis is a highly convoluted tubule whose unique luminal microenvironment is crucial for the functional maturation of spermatozoa. This microenvironment is created by the combined secretory and resorptive activity of the lining epididymal epithelium, including the release of extracellular vesicles (epididymosomes), which encapsulate fertility modulating proteins and a myriad of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) that are destined for delivery to recipient sperm cells. To enable investigation of this intercellular communication nexus, we have previously developed an immortalized mouse caput epididymal epithelial cell line (mECap18). Here, we describe the application of label-free mass spectrometry to characterize the mECap18 cell proteome and compare this to the proteome of native mouse caput epididymal epithelial cells. We report the identification of 5,313 mECap18 proteins, as many as 75.8% of which were also identified in caput epithelial cells wherein they mapped to broadly similar protein classification groupings. Furthermore, key pathways associated with protein synthesis (e.g., EIF2 signaling) and cellular protection in the male reproductive tract (e.g., sirtuin signaling) were enriched in both proteomes. This comparison supports the utility of the mECap18 cell line as a tractable in-vitro model for studying caput epididymal epithelial cell function.
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