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D. Čechová
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V. Jonáková
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L. Veselský
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E. Töpfer-Petersen
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A mouse monoclonal antibody against boar acrosin and antiserum prepared to highly purified acrosin in female rabbits were used to detect the antigen in various fluids and tissues of boars using an indirect immunofluorescence technique. A strong reaction was found in fluid and epithelial tissue of the seminal vesicles as well as in the germinal cells in the testis. No immunoreactivity was detected in tissues of the epididymides and other organs of the boar. The antigens present in seminal vesicle fluid of boars were partially purified by column chromatography. It was demonstrated that two antigens differing in molecular mass were present and both possessed protease and amidase activity. The higher molecular mass antigen eluted from a gel filtration column in a volume identical to that of proacrosin. The same result was obtained in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS-PAGE). The low molecular mass antigen was eluted from Sephadex G-75 column together with natural protease inhibitors corresponding in molecular mass to less than 20 kDa. The mobility of the antigen in SDS-PAGE was greater than that of chymotrypsin. It is assumed that the protease from seminal vesicle epithelia resembled acrosin in structure and function. Acrosin may therefore not be specific for spermatozoa.

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J. Dostál
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L. Veselský
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M. Marounek
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B. Železná
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V. Jonáková
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Intravenous deposition of the immunosuppressive component, isolated from boar seminal vesicle secretion, led to suppression of primary and secondary antibody response to boar epididymal spermatozoa and to bacterial antigens. The most effective suppression of the immune response was achieved in female mice treated with immunosuppressive component 3 days before the immunization with antigen. The treatment with immunosuppressor 3 days after the immunization resulted in less effective immunosuppression. After the primary immunization, male mice displayed low sensitivity to epididymal spermatozoa. The production of IgG and IgM antibodies to spermatozoa was depressed for a relatively long period in female mice treated with immunosuppressor. The immunosuppressive components of the reproductive gland secretions may protect sperm cells from the adverse effect of the immune system cells and enhance the chance of conception. However, seminal immunosuppressive components may play an unfavourable role by producing a predisposition in the reproductive tract to bacterial or viral infections.

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L. Veselský
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V. Jonáková
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M. L. Sanz
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E. Töpfer-Petersen
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D. Čechová
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Summary. A highly purified 15 kDa glycoprotein isolated from ejaculated spermatozoa was used to raise antisera in female rabbits. An indirect immunofluorescence technique was used to detect the antigen in the seminal vesicle tissue and on the acrosomes of ejaculated, native and capacitated, boar spermatozoa. No immunoreactivity was detected on cells of the seminiferous tubules (spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and spermatids), on spermatozoa in the ductus epididymis and in cells of the epididymal and testicular tissues. These observations support the view that the 15 kDa protein is produced in the seminal vesicle secretory epithelium, and is attached to the sperm plasma membrane during the exposure of spermatozoa to seminal vesicle compounds. The observations that the antigen remained on the acrosome of ejaculated spermatozoa after capacitation and blocked sperm–oocyte binding in vitro suggest that the antigen plays a role in sperm–egg interactions. The strong immunoreactivity exhibited by cumulus cells after incubation of antisera with the porcine egg surrounded by cumulus cells shows the possible importance of the 15 kDa glycoprotein for contact of spermatozoa with cells of the cumulus oophorus surrounding the egg.

Keywords: zona pellucida; binding proteins; sperm–egg interaction; gamete recognition; boar; indirect immunofluorescence

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V. Jonáková
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M. Kraus
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L. Veselský
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D. Čechová
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K. Bezouška
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M. Tichá
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Heparin-binding proteins (designated BHB-2–BHB-9) were isolated from boar seminal plasma by affinity chromatography on heparin immobilized on polyacrylamide gel, followed by reverse phase HPLC. According to their N-terminal amino acid sequences, BHB-3–BHB-5 belong to the AQN family of spermadhesins and BHB-7–BHB-9 to the AWN family. BHB-6 is composed of two different proteins. The dominant protein (14 kDa) has the N-terminal amino acid sequence HNKQEGRDHD that is identical to the sequence of human semenogelin at positions 85–94. The minor proteins (16 and 17 kDa) belong to the AWN family of spermadhesins. The 14 kDa HNK protein does not crossreact with antibodies against AQN or AWN spermadhesins. BHB-2 also binds to the acrosome of boar epididymal spermatozoa but has the N-terminal sequence DQH. Therefore, basic protein BHB-2 belongs to a new family of DQH sperm surface proteins that are homologous to the acidic proteins from bull and stallion seminal plasma, to the collagen binding domain II in fibronectin and to the leucocyte cell–cell adhesion regulator, but are not homologous to AQN or AWN spermadhesins. Nevertheless, antiAQN-1 spermadhesin antibodies crossreact strongly with DQH protein. All boar heparin-binding proteins bind concanavalin A indicating their glycoprotein nature, which was proved by the detection of glucosamine and galactosamine residues in their molecules. Furthermore, spermadhesins interact with zona pellucida, protease inhibitors and a polyacrylamide derivative of heparin. Affinity chromatography experiments showed that the DQH protein bound to gelatin–agarose together with the AWN proteins and that the DQH protein and AQN-1 spermadhesin belong to the phosphoryl choline binding proteins.

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