Evidence of a high molecular weight form of acrosin in boar acrosomal extract

Acrosomal extracts of freshly ejaculated and immediately processed boar spermatozoa were investigated to detect which and how many acrosin molecular forms were present. Electrophoretic analyses of the acrosomal extract showed the presence of only one, slowly migrating, acrosin molecular form. Enzyme-linked-immuno-electro-transfer blot revealed the molecular weight of this form to be about 66 kdalton. Preliminary electrophoretic analyses under nondenaturating conditions of the acrosomal extract previously treated with thermolysin suggested that the approximately 66 kdalton form gives rise to two comigrating acrosin molecular forms.