title: Plasma membrane alterations of maturing goat (Capra indicus) spermatozoa: lectin-binding and freeze-fracture study.
abstract: A qualitative and quantitative analysis of lectin-binding sites has been undertaken on spermatozoa recovered from different regions of the epididymis of the goat (Capra indicus) using fluorescein isothiocyanate-linked lectins (Bauhinia purpurea BPA, Concanavalin A Con A, Dolichos biflorus DBA, Maclura pomifera MPA, Arachis hypogaea or peanut agglutinin PNA, Glycine max or soyabean agglutinin SBA, Ulex europaeus UEA, and Triticum vulgaris or wheat-germ agglutinin WGA), in conjunction with scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and freeze-fracture techniques. Flow cytometric analysis has also been used to quantitize binding affinity. Spermatozoa from caput to cauda epididymidis show no significant variation in lectin-binding ability, but the samples removed from the corpus epididymidis contain a greater number of binding sites. The passage of spermatozoa through the epididymidis is accompanied by a redistribution of the plasma membrane lectin-receptors covering the sperm head and tail. Receptors for BPA, DBA, PNA and SBA are specifically restricted to the anterior region of the acrosome in caudal spermatozoa. Freeze-fracture replicas, examined to study changes in organisation of intramembranous particles of the plasma membrane during sperm maturation, reveal distinct changes in their distribution in the acrosome, post-acrosome and spermatozoon tail, especially in the corpus and cauda epididymidis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Bains
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bawa
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pabst
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sehgal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004822:Epididymis / Q000166:cytology; D005614:Freeze Fracturing; D006041:Goats / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D037102:Lectins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013079:Sperm Maturation; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D037102:Lectins