A Chemical Procedure for Extraction of the Acrosomes of Mammalian Spermatozoa

Abstract

Summary. Rabbit

Acrosomal Enzymes: Immunochemical Localization of Acrosin and Hyaluronidase in Ram Spermatozoa

“…It has been based on changes in sperm morphology after enzyme extraction (Pedersen, 1972;Brown & Hartree, 1974;Churg et al, 1974;Srivastava et al, 1974), on the localization of labelled non-specific enzyme inhibitors (Stambaugh & Buckley, 1972) and on the detection of proteolytic activity using gelatin films (Gaddum & Blandau, 1970;Benitez-Bribiesca & Velazquez-Meza, 1972;Gaddum-Rosse & Blandau, 1972;Penn et al, 1972;Allen et al, 1974). This proteolytic activity is unlikely to be specific as there is increasing evidence that more than one proteinase exists in spermatozoa (Dott & Dingle, 1968;Allison & Hartree, 1970;Multimaki & Niemi, 1972;Yanagimachi & Teichman, 1972;Bernstein & Teichman, 1973;Srivastava & Foley, 1973). Another approach to the problem lies in the use of monospecific antisera to localize a particular enzyme.…”

The Acrosome--Lysosome Relationship

“…Thus Bernstein & Teichman (1973) consider that such an enzyme cannot be accepted as a lysosomal constituent without a fundamental reappraisal of the lysosome concept. In their classical papers, de Duve and his colleagues (see de Duve, 1959) depicted the lysosome as an intracellular granule containing a group of hydrolytic enzymes with one feature in common: their activities are highest at low pH values.…”

Vitamin a in Bovine Sperm Acrosomes

“…No obvious damage to the spermatozoa was detected. The suspension containing spermatozoa was then used for acrosomal extraction (Fraction 1) according to the procedure of Bernstein & Teichman (1973). The aqueous acrosomal suspension was used for vitamin A extraction.…”