Human Sperm Surface Mapping with Lectins

摘要

Ten fluorescein isothiocyanate (FΙTC)-linked lectins Bauhimia purpurea, Concanavalin A, Dolichos biflorus (DBA), Griffonia simplicifolia I, Griffonia simplicifolia II, Madura pomifera, Arachis hypogea (PNA), Glycine max, Ulex europaeus (UEA) and Triticum vulgaris agglutinin have been used to study their binding features on the human ejaculate spermatozoa. Qualitative changes in the labeling pattern have been observed in unfixed and acetone-treated spermatozoa. Furthermore, ultrastructural localization of some of the colloidal gold-linked lectins, namely PNA, UEA and DBA, has been attempted to delineate the binding domains of the specific sugars on the sperm surface. It needs to be emphasized that flow-cytometric methods employed in our study, which provide quantitative slant to qualitative data, should be utilized to evaluate the functional status of the spermatozoa