Antibodies to sperm basic nuclear proteins detected in infertile patients by dot-immunobinding assay and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
The auto-antibody response in infertile men was investigated by means of immunoenzymatic methods, dot-immunobinding assay (DIBA), and ELISA, using, as antigens, human sperm basic nuclear proteins. Comparison was made, for the same patients, with antibody response to membrane antigens, detected by tray agglutination test (TAT), spermotoxic test (STT), and immunobead binding test (IBT). A very good agreement was observed between the two kinds of antibody responses. Thus, an ELISA or a dot-immunobinding test with sperm nuclear proteins may be considered as a simple and sensitive method for detection of auto-antibodies in infertile men. The reactivity in ELISA of various synthetic peptides corresponding to sequences of human protamines HP1 and HP2 was also studied: all the sera containing anti-nuclear antibodies do not react with synthetic peptides. This observation suggests that antibodies to sperm nuclear proteins recognize conformational epitopes that are not present on small synthetic peptides.
Rousseaux-Prevost
R
R
URA CNRS 409, Institut de Recherches sur le Cancer, Lille, France.
De Almeida
M
M
Arrar
L
L
Hublau
P
P
Rousseaux
J
J
D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007158:Immunologic Techniques; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology; D011479:Protamines / Q000276:immunology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000276:immunology*
D001323:Autoantibodies; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D011479:Protamines