A unique monoclonal antibody that specifically reacts only with sperm after the acrosome reaction was obtained, and the antigen (OBF) recognized by this antibody was identified. This antibody was found to inhibit the fusion of mouse sperm and egg. Furthermore, in order to elucidate the function of OBF in vivo, an OBF gene knockout mouse was prepared and analyzed. As a result, it was found that the OBF gene knockout male mouse is infertile, and the sperm has no fusion ability at all even though it can bind to the egg.
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