title: Involvement of fertilization antigen (FA-1) in involuntary immunoinfertility in humans.
abstract: Sera from immunoinfertile patients (n = 32) and fertile controls (n = 20) were analyzed for cross-reaction with a purified and characterized sperm-specific glycoprotein, the fertilization antigen (FA-1), employing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The immunoinfertile sera demonstrated a strong reaction with FA-1 when compared with fertile control sera. There was no correlation between the reaction of sera with FA-1 and the titers obtained through the sperm agglutination technique and the sperm immobilization technique. Immunoinfertile sera showed binding with the protein bands in the regions corresponding to FA-1 on Western blots involving sodium deoxycholate-solubilized human sperm. Antigens isolated with immunoaffinity chromatography involving immunoinfertile sera also demonstrated antigen bands corresponding to FA-1 in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Of the seven immunoinfertile couples, three that had antibodies to FA-1 in the male as well as female partners demonstrated a block of fertilization (IVF) due to antibodies bound on the sperm surface. The anti-FA-1 antibody activity was detected in serum as well as in follicular fluid and seminal plasma. Immunoinfertile sera that showed an inhibition of human sperm penetration of zona-free hamster ova showed a significant (P less than 0.001) increase in penetration rates after absorption with FA-1. These results indicate that sera from immunoinfertile patients had antibodies reacting with FA-1, and these antibodies are involved in the fertilization process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20037.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Naz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D000941:Antigens / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007163:Immunosorbent Techniques; D007246:Infertility / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008970:Molecular Weight; D013073:Sperm Agglutination; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D000941:Antigens; D006023:Glycoproteins; C054151:fertilization antigen