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Effect of antibodies to sperm‐specific recombinant contraceptive vaccinogen (rCV) on murine fertilization: search for an animal model to examine its contraceptive potential
Author(s) -
Chauhan Subhash C.,
Naz Rajesh K.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/mrd.1106
Subject(s) - sperm , biology , acrosome reaction , capacitation , western blot , acrosome , antigen , antibody , andrology , human fertilization , recombinant dna , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , genetics , gene , medicine
Recently, we cloned and sequenced a sperm‐specific antigen, designated as Contraceptive Vaccinogen (rCV), from human testis (Naz et al., 2001). The present study was conducted to examine its proteomic homologue and function in murine sperm, in order to find out whether or not the mouse can provide a suitable model for examining its immunocontraceptive effects. This was examined by using purified antibodies (Ab) raised against the recombinant (r) human CV antigen of ∼44 kD. In the Western blot procedure, rCV antibodies recognized a specific protein band of ∼64 ± 5 kD in murine testis and murine sperm extracts, the band similar to that found in human testis and human sperm. In the immunoprecipitation procedure, rCV Ab immunoprecipitated a protein band of similar size from murine sperm and murine testis extracts. The immunocytochemical (ICT), immunoscanning electronmicroscopic (ISEM) and the immunobead binding technique (IBT) revealed the subcellular localization of CV antigen on the surface of acrosome and tail regions of the noncapacitated and capacitated murine sperm cell. In functional bioassays, rCV Ab inhibited the acrosome reaction as well as sperm–egg binding in vitro. These data indicate that the CV antigen is expressed in murine sperm and has a biological role in sperm function and sperm–egg binding. In vitro inhibition of capacitation/acrosome reaction and sperm–zona binding suggest that the mouse can provide a suitable model to examine the immunocontraceptive effects of CV antigen in actively‐immunized animals. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 60:425‐432, © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.