Surface Components of Ejaculated Chimpanzee Sperm

Abstract

Surface components of ejaculated chimpanzee sperm were radiolabeled by enzymatic iodination with lactoperoxidase and Na¹²⁵I. The sperm were lysed and the labeled components analyzed on SDS-7.5% polyacrylamide gels. Electrophoresis of solubilized radioactivity resolved four components with approximate molecular weights of 72,000, 49,000, 25,000, and 17,000 daltons. To identify components, which might be adsorbed to the chimpanzee sperm surface from seminal secretions, seminal plasma was labeled. Electrophoresis of labeled seminal plasma resolved three components with approximate molecular weights of 63,000, 26,000, and 17,000 daltons, two of which comigrated with a labeled sperm surface component.

Key Words:

• Sperm
• Surface components
• Chimpanzee
• Seminal plasma