The human embryo proteome.

Relatively little is known about the proteome/secretome of the human preimplantation embryo, in particular the protein composition/secretion of the blastocyst just before implantation. Given the legal and ethical guidelines, new approaches are needed to study the human embryo proteome. At present, morphological assessment is the primary method used to determine embryo viability during assisted reproductive technologies cycles, but technological advances in translational research have made the use of noninvasive methods possible to determine the proteomic and metabolic status of the human embryo. We have investigated the protein secretion and consumption profile of the human blastocyst (secretome) and the implanted blastocyst (implantome) to develop new noninvasive models of blastocyst selection. In short, we herein review the information available on the human proteome using different approaches and techniques.