Isolation and characterization of boar spermatozoa with and without a cytoplasmic droplet.
1. Boar semen was separated on a Percoll density gradient into three populations; a low-density band of immature sperm cells containing a cytoplasmic droplet and a high-density doublet band formed by spermatozoa without a cytoplasmic droplet. 2. In these three cell populations four acid hydrolases were determined, viz. (1) alpha-glucosidase; (2) alpha-mannosidase; (3) beta-galactosidase; (4) beta-hexosaminidase. 3. The release of the hydrolases (1), (2) and (3) from cytoplasmic droplet containing spermatozoa was stimulated whereas the release of beta-hexosaminidase was inhibited by calcium ions. 4. The results suggest that acid alpha-glucosidase, alpha-mannosidase and beta-galactosidase are situated in the acrosome whereas acid beta-hexosaminidase is localized predominantly in the cytoplasmic droplet of boar spermatozoa. 5. We conclude that beta-hexosaminidase should prove useful as a biochemical marker for cytoplasmic droplet containing spermatozoa and hence for the number of immature sperm cells in boar semen.
de Vries
A C
AC
Laboratory of Veterinary Biochemistry, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Colenbrander
B
B
D000177:Acrosome / Q000201:enzymology; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002412:Cations; D002469:Cell Separation; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D008361:Mannosidases / Q000032:analysis; D015388:Organelles / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012661:Semen / Q000166:cytology*; D013076:Sperm Count; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013552:Swine; D000520:alpha-Glucosidases / Q000032:analysis; D043323:alpha-Mannosidase; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000032:analysis; D001619:beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidases / Q000032:analysis
D002412:Cations; D008361:Mannosidases; D000520:alpha-Glucosidases; D001616:beta-Galactosidase; D043323:alpha-Mannosidase; D001619:beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidases; D002118:Calcium