The spermatozoon has classically been seen only as a paternal DNA transporter into the oocyte, thus underestimating the entire contribution of the male gamete to the embryo development. The advancement of the research supports that not only the sperm genome, but the entire sperm transcriptome and proteome carry crucial information for fertilization and embryo development.

Altogether, 6871 proteins have been reported in spermatozoa so far. Their functional analysis has recently addressed to the sperm proteome a role in fertilization, preimplantation embryo development and paternal epigenetic inheritance. Targeted analysis of human spermatozoa is warranted to compile an evidence-based list of sperm-carried molecular targets in infertile patients.

传统上，精子仅被视为卵母细胞中的父系DNA转运体，因此低估了雄配子对胚胎发育的全部贡献。研究的进展不仅支持精子基因组，而且还支持整个精子转录组和蛋白质组携带受精和胚胎发育的关键信息。

迄今为止，已经报道了精子中共有6871种蛋白质。他们的功能分析最近针对精子蛋白质组在受精，着床前胚胎发育和父系表观遗传中的作用。对人类精子进行靶向分析，可以编制不育患者精子携带分子靶标的循证清单。