Nature of the large antibacterial proteins in bovine seminal plasma formed by reversible aggregation

Abstract

The major part of the antibacterial activity of bovine seminal plasma is associated with the predominant proteins, of molecular weight around 250 and 500 kDa. These are large aggregates which readily disaggregate to 20 kDa moieties at pH ≤3, which slowly disaggregate to a molecular weight below 3.5 kDa. The large aggregates are re-formed at pH 7.

Keywords:

• bovine
• seminal plasma
• antibacterial
• cationic proteins