Fertility studies with antisperm antibodies.
Serum obtained from an infertile subject possessed antibodies that interacted with a human sperm glycoprotein with an estimated M(r) of 17,550 and pI of 5.65 containing 17.7% neutral hexoses and designated as the BS-17 component. Polyclonal antibodies raised against the BS-17 antigen blocked the capacity of human sperm to fertilize zona-free hamster ova in vitro; however, the antibodies did not influence the binding of human sperm to zone-free ova or alter the motility of human sperm. The antibodies inhibited the capacity of mouse sperm to fertilize ova upon in vivo insemination. The BS-17 antigen was detected in human, rat, mouse, rabbit, and hamster sperm by an immunocytochemical method, using polyclonal anti-BS-17 antibodies. Intense staining occurred over the surface of the acrosomal region of all mammalian sperm. The results suggest that the production of anti-BS-17 antibodies contribute to infertility by preventing the capacitation of sperm and/or by blocking the ability of capacitated sperm to fertilize the egg.
Wei
S G
SG
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing.
Wang
L F
LF
Miao
S Y
SY
Zong
S D
SD
Koide
S S
SS
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D000941:Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006224:Cricetinae; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011506:Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013075:Sperm Capacitation / Q000276:immunology; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000276:immunology; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000276:immunology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000276:immunology*
D000906:Antibodies; D000941:Antigens; D011506:Proteins