title: Characterization of antibodies generated against a conserved portion of oviductal glycoprotein (OGP) and endogenous hamster OGP and their ability to decrease sperm binding to the zona pellucida in vitro.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The effect of antibodies generated against hamster oviductal glycoprotein (OGP) on sperm binding to the zona pellucida (ZP) was evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Antibodies against a 17-amino-acid sequence of the OGP core protein (amino acids 52-68) and the denatured hamster OGP protein were generated, characterized, and tested in an in vitro sperm binding assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sperm binding was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) when oviductal oocytes were incubated for 2 hr with 4 or 8 mg/ml of immune IgG of both antibodies when compared with normal rabbit IgG. A fluorescence assay showed binding of both antibodies to the endogenous OGP associated with the ZP of ovulated hamster oocytes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that OGP may be a potential immunocontraceptive target because both antibodies significantly decreased sperm binding to the ZP of oviductal oocytes. Immunocontraception may be accomplished by attempting to generate active immunity to a recombinant OGP, to the region selected in this study (amino acids 52-68) or to some other region of the core protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Illinois at Chicago 60612, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Mavrogianis
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: O'Day-Bowman
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Jaffe
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Verhage
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D003267:Contraception; D006224:Cricetinae; D005187:Fallopian Tubes / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology*; D011817:Rabbits; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D006023:Glycoproteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments