Bull 4MID® Kit (proAKAP4 marker testing kit)
Product ref. : 4VDX-18K4
The Bull 4MID® Kit (Ref. 4VDX-18K4) allows you to quantify proAKAP4 in bull semen as a biomarker of sperm quality at fresh and post-thawed conditions.
The Bull 4MID® Kit is the 1st functional testing kit to evaluate objectively sperm quality .
The Bull 4MID® Kit will give you a number that is correlated with sperm quality and fertility outcomes.
Bull 4MID® Kit Description
The Bull 4MID® Kit (Ref. 4VDX-18K4) is the test that validate objectively semen quality by quantifying a protein biomarker named proAKAP4 in bull semen.
The dosage of the proAKAP4 biomarker with the Bull 4MID® Kit, will bring you:
- Objective information on semen quality
- Qualification of each breeding male
- Qualification of each ejaculate
- Pertinent parameter to improve sperm cryopreservation
- A functional indicator correlated to fertility
Application : for the in vitro determination of bull proAKAP4 in sperm.
For Research Use Only / Not for Diagnosis or Therapeutic Use
Reagents provided in the Bull 4MID® Kit
The Bull 4MID® Kit (Ref. 4VDX-18K4) contains all reagents and buffers required for the quantification of proAKAP4 protein in bull semen :
- One Microplate (12 strips of 8 wells per microplate 96 wells / per kit)
- 7 vials of Standard (ready to use)
- One vial of Positive control
- One vial of Detection Antibody
- One bottle of the Enzyme Reagent
- One bottle of 10X Wash Buffer
- One bottle of the Sample Diluant
- One bottle of the Acid Stop Solution
- Two adhesive plate sealers
- User Manual
Technical Data of the Bull 4MID® Kit
- Name: Bull 4MID® Kit
- Product reference: 4VDX-18K4
- Method : Quantitative ELISA assay – 96-well microplate (12 breakable strips of 8 wells)
- Specificity: Bull proAKAP4 (all breeds)
- Analytical range: 0 ng to 150 ng
- Sample type: Ejaculates – Fresh, chilled or frozen semen in extenders (straws) – Isolated spermatozoa – Sexed semen
- From 1 up to 88 samples can be run simultaneously or individually (12 breakable strips of 8 wells per microplate / per kit)
Easy to use immunoassay / Manual and automated assay
Research Use Only Product (RUO) / Not for Diagnosis or Therapeutic Use.
Advantages – Bull 4MID® Kit
In bulls, quantifying the concentration of proAKAP4 usingthe Bull 4MID® Kit method is:
- Indicative of the ejaculate quality
- An indicator of the long lasting motility at post-thaw
- An indicator of the quality of frozen straws
- A support tool for the classification of male breeder
- A monitoring tool of bull career
The Bull 4MID® Kit give you a number that correlate with fertility outcomes.
More details in Sergeant et al. 2019.
Overview
The Bull 4MID® Kit as the first validated test of sperm quality and fertility
The Bull 4MID® Kit detect and quantify the proAKAP4 protein in semen (raw, diluted, fresh, chilled or frozen).
ProAKAP4 is the first innovative biomarker of semen quality, being a reflect of the good maturation of spermatozoa (Cui et al., 2016; Sergeant et al., 2019).
ProAKAP4 is the precursor of AKAP4 that is playing a key role in flagellar structure, capacitation and sperm motility (Luconi et al., 2011 ; Turner et al., 2005). The AKAP4 gene is located on chromosome X (Sergeant et al., 2016). The precursor proAKAP4 is processed to a “mature” AKAP4 protein that will be active.
Spermatozoa without proAKAP4 / AKAP4 are abnormal, immotile and infertile (Miki et al., 2002 ; Fang et al., 2019). Also, oxidative stress decrease proAKAP4 concentration on spermatozoa (Hamada et al., 2013; Nixon et al., 2019)
Sperm from high fertility bulls have higher expression of proAKAP4 than low fertility bulls (Peddinti et al., 2008; Ruelle et al., 2019; Sergeant et al., 2019; Singh et al., 2019; Fu et al., 2019)
The concentration of proAKAP4 biomarker measured with the Bull 4MID® Kit is a good indicator of sperm quality and of how the spermatozoa can keep its motility high and efficient up to fecundation
References
- Marques de Almeida AB, Megumy Tsunokawa HidalgoM, Zito de Moraes FL, Corsi Trautwein LG, Schnitzer J, Dos Santos Silva LA, Rizzoto G, Pinheiro Ferreira JC and Mello Martins MI (2022) The proAKAP4 concentrations in Nellore bulls’ sperm and its relations to FTAI conception rates results. Rev Bras Reprod Anim. Vol. 46(2)178-179.
- Dordas-Perpinyà M, Sergeant N, Ruelle I, Bruyas JF, Charreaux C, Michaud S, Carracedo S, Catalán J, Miró J, Delehedde M and Briand-Amirat L (2022) ProAKAP4 semen concentrations as a valuable marker protein of post-thawed semen quality and bull fertility: a retrospective study. Veterinary Sciences. Vol. 9 :224. https://doi.org/10.3390/
vetsci9050224 - Carracedo S, Briand-Amirat L, Dordas-Perpinyà M, Ramos Escuredo Y, Delcombel R, Sergeant N and Dele-hedde M (2022) ProAKAP4 protein marker: towards a functional approach to male fertility. Animal Reproduction Science. In Press
- Kowalczyk A, Gałeska E and Bubel A (2022) The Concentration of ProAKAP4 and Other Indicators of Cryopotential of Spermatozoa Cryopreserved in Extender with Holothuroidea Extract Addition. Animals. Vol. 12:521. https:// doi.org/10.3390/ani12040521
- Bastan and Akcay (2021) Quality assessment of frozen bull semen with the precursor A-kinase anchor protein 4 biomarker. Andrologia e14164.
- Blommaert D et al. (2021) First results about ProAKAP4 concentration in stallion semen after cryopreservation in two different freezing media. Cryobiology. Vol. 102:133-135.
- Malo C, Carracedo S, Delehedde M, Sergeant N and Skidmore L (2021) Identification of PROAKAP4 in Dromedary sperm and their correlation with monthly semen parameters. Reproduction & Fertility. Vol.2(4):268-279.
- Baştan I and Akçay E (2021) Prognostic assessment of frozen bull semen with ProAKAP4 biomarker. 4th International Health Science and Life Congress,
- Wu et al. (2020) Testis transcriptome profiling identified genes involved in spermatogenic arrest of cattleyak. PLoS One. 15(2):e0229503.
- Ruelle et al. (2020) ProAKAP4 concentrations in semen as a predictive tool of bull fertility: A preliminary study. Reproduction, Fertility and Development. 32(1):145.
- Carracedo et al. (2020) The sperm specific proAKAP4 polypeptide exhibited conserved functions, localizations and metabolism among mammals. Animal Reproduction Science. Vol. 220 :106448
- Griffin et al. (2020) Mass spectrometry reveals distinct proteomic profiles in high- and low-quality stallion spermatozoa. Reproduction. 160(5):695-707.
- Fang et al. (2019) Proteomics and single-cell RNA analysis of Akap4-knockout mice model confirm indispensable role of Akap4 in spermatogenesis. Developmental Biology. 454(2):118-127.
- Fu et al. (2019) Proteomic profiles of buffalo spermatozoa and seminal plasma. Theriogenology. Vol. 134:74-82.
- Singh et al. (2019) Database on spermatozoa transcriptogram of catagorised frieswal crossbred (holstein friesian X sahiwal) bulls. Theriogenology. Vol. 129:130-145.
- Blommaert et al. (2019) Expression, localization, and concentration of A-kinase anchor protein 4 (AKAP4) and its precursor (proAKAP4) in equine semen: promising marker correlated to the total and progressive motility in thawed spermatozoa. Theriogenology. Vol. 131:52-60.
- Delehedde et al. (2019) ProAKAP4 polypeptide as a biomarker of sperm functionality and male fertility disorders. Int J Gynecol and Reprod Sci. Vol. 2(1):13-19.
- Delehedde et al (2019b) ProAKAP4 concentrations as an indicator of good spermatogenesis and sperm quality under oxidative stress conditions. Andrology. Vol. 7(1):86.
- Nixon et al. (2019b) A Kinase Anchor Protein 4 is vulnerable to oxidative adduction in male germ cells. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology – Vol. 7:319.
- Sergeant et al (2019) The sperm specific protein proAKAP4 as an innovative marker to evaluate sperm quality and fertility. Journal of Dairy & Veterinary Sciences. Vol. 11:01-19.
- Luconi et al. (2011) Role of A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) in reproduction. Frontiers in Bioscience. Vol. 16:1315-1330.
- Hu et al (2009) A-kinase anchoring protein 4 has a conserved role in mammalian spermatogenesis. Reproduction. Vol. 137:645-653.
- Peddinti et al. (2008) Comprehensive proteomic analysis of bovine spermatozoa of varying fertility rates and identification of biomarkers associated with fertility. BMC Systems Biology. Vol. (2)19:1-13.
- Moretti E et al. (2007) Localization of AKAP4 and tubulin proteins in sperm with reduced motility. Asian Journal of Andrology. Vol. 9:641-649.
- Miki et al. (2002) Targeted disruption of the AKAP4 gene causes defects in sperm flagellum and motility. Developmental Biology. Vol. 248:331-342.
Contact our specialists to request of quotation or if you have any questions or to set up a 4MID® trial analysis of your breeder semens.
