Solubilization of human spermatozoa and antigen isolation responsable for agglutination

Spermatozoa were solubilized by cleaving the disulphide bonds with dithioerythrol and protecting the weak antigen responsable for spermagglutination with Na-dodecylsulphate. The fact that spermagglutinating activity could still be absorbed from female sera by solubilized spermatozoa indicates that the antigen has not been destroyed by the applied procedure. By gelelectrophoresis four fractions could be separated. Antibody fraction from four sera and three cervical mucus samples of women with humoral spermagglutinating antibody--activity were used as indicator antbodies in crossed immunoelectrophoresis of solubilized spermatozoa. As negative controls served four sera and two cervical mucus samples. A precipitation line could only be detected in positive cases. The second spermfraction of gel-electrophoresis was found to contain the antigen reacting with the known antibodies from the applied FD-positive sera and cervical mucus samples.