title: Ability of antibody-bound human sperm to penetrate zona-free hamster ova in vitro.
abstract: Sera from men and women at risk for immunologic causes of infertility were screened for sperm-specific antibodies by a new test devised to assess directly the presence of immunoglobulins bound to the sperm plasma membrane. Passive antibody transfers to antibody-negative sperm of a fertile donor were performed with the use of sera that possessed iso- or auto-antibodies directed against the sperm head, including the acrosome and postacrosomal regions. The ability of these antibody-bound sperm to penetrate the zona-free hamster egg in vitro, a prerequisite for fertilization, was enhanced, as compared with the penetrating ability of antibody-free sperm of the same donor. These results indicate that the sperm-specific antibodies studied in these experiments, although bound to the sperm head, do not cause infertility by interfering with the acrosome reaction or gamete membrane fusion.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000502:physiology; D006224:Cricetinae; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000502:physiology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000502:physiology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D010063:Ovum; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D015044:Zona Pellucida
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007518:Isoantibodies