Significance: Sea stars are emblematic of the seashore. Despite this, their ability to pry open mussels and attach strongly but temporarily to rocks in their environments are poorly understood. Here we report, to our knowledge, the first sequence of a protein, Sea star footprint protein 1 (Sfp1), a primary constituent of the adhesive footprints secreted by sea star tube feet. Sfp1 is unusually large and complex compared with other marine adhesive proteins such as those of mussels. It is translated from a single mRNA and then fragmented into four subunits, which display specific domains that mediate interactions with other proteins present in the adhesive material and on the tube foot surface. After secretion, Sfp1 forms a structural scaffold and appears to provide footprints with cohesion.

Sea stars rely on epidermal secretions to cope with their benthic life. Their integument produces a mucus, which represents the first barrier against invaders; and their tube feet produce adhesive secretions to pry open mussels and attach strongly but temporarily to rocks. In this study, we combined high-throughput sequencing of expressed mRNA and mass-spectrometry-based identification of proteins to establish the first proteome of mucous and adhesive secretions from the sea star Asterias rubens. We show that the two secretions differ significantly, the major adhesive proteins being only present in trace amounts in the mucus secretion. Except for 41 proteins which were present in both secretions, a total of 34 and 244 proteins were identified as specific of adhesive secretions and mucus, respectively. We discuss the role of some of these proteins in the adhesion of sea stars as well as in their protection against oxygen reactive species and microorganisms. In addition, 58% of the proteins identified in adhesive secretions did not present significant similarity to other known proteins, revealing a list of potential novel sea star adhesive proteins uncharacterized so far. The panel of proteins identified in this study offers unprecedented opportunities for the development of sea star-inspired biomimetic materials.

Spinochromes are principally known to be involved in sea urchin pigmentation as well as for their potentially interesting pharmacological properties. To assess their biological role in sea urchin physiology, experiments are undertaken on crude extracts from four species and on four isolated spinochromes in order to test their antibacterial, antioxidant, inflammatory and cytotoxic activities. First, the antibacterial assays show that the use of crude extracts as representatives of antibacterial effects of spinochromes are inaccurate. The assays on purified spinochromes showed a decrease in the growth of four strains with an intensity depending on the spinochromes/bacteria system, revealing the participation of spinochromes in the defense system against microorganisms. Secondly, in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl antioxidant assays, spinochromes show an enhanced activity compared to the positive control. This latter observation suggests their involvement in ultraviolet radiation protection. Third, spinochromes present a pro-inflammatory effect on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages, highlighting their possible implication in the sea urchin immune system. Finally, cytotoxicity assays based on Trypan blue exclusion, performed in view of their possible future applications as drugs, show a weak cytotoxicity of these compounds against human cells. In conclusion, all results confirm the implication of spinochromes in sea urchin defense mechanisms against their external environment and reveal their potential for pharmacological and agronomical industries.

Male infertility is a common health problem that can be influenced by a host of lifestyle risk factors such as environment, nutrition, smoking, stress, and endocrine disruptors. These effects have been largely demonstrated on sperm parameters (e.g., motility, numeration, vitality, DNA integrity). In addition, several studies showed the deregulation of sperm proteins in relation to some of these factors. This review inventories the literature related to the identification of sperm proteins showing abundance variations in response to the four risk factors for male infertility that are the most investigated in this context: obesity, diabetes, tobacco smoking, and exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA). First, we provide an overview of the techniques used to identify deregulated proteins. Then, we summarise the main results obtained in the different studies and provide a compiled list of deregulated proteins in relation to each risk factor. Gene ontology analysis of these deregulated proteins shows that oxidative stress and immune and inflammatory responses are common mechanisms involved in sperm alterations encountered in relation to the risk factors.