Capacitation and the acrosome reaction in guinea pig spermatozoa increase the availability of surface aminophospholipids for labelling by trinitrobenzene sulphonate.
Guinea pig spermatozoa isolated from the epididymis were capacitated by incubation in phosphate buffered saline at 37 degrees C for 5h. and the acrosome reaction induced by addition of calcium chloride (10mM). There was no significant difference between the phospholipid compositions of freshly prepared, capacitated or acrosome reacted spermatozoa. However, the % of the aminophospholipids available to trinitrobenzene sulphonate in the external medium was increased significantly in capacitated and acrosome reacted spermatozoa compared with freshly isolated spermatozoa. These observations are consistent with the morphological observations of others and suggest that on capacitation there is a change in the arrangement of phospholipids in the plasma membrane of spermatozoa to increase the concentration of fusogenic phospholipids in the outer leaflet.
D000177:Acrosome / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008244:Lysophosphatidylcholines / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000032:analysis; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines / Q000032:analysis; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols / Q000032:analysis; D010718:Phosphatidylserines / Q000032:analysis; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000032:analysis*; D013075:Sperm Capacitation; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology*; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000032:analysis; D014302:Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid
D008244:Lysophosphatidylcholines; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols; D010718:Phosphatidylserines; D010743:Phospholipids; D013109:Sphingomyelins; D014302:Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid