Genetic control of antisperm autoantibody response in vasectomized guinea pigs

About 50% of vasectomized and none of sham-operated outbred Hartley GP develop autoantibodies to TSDA, surface antigens on sperm, spermatids, and residual bodies detectable by a sensitive quantitative cellular radioimmunobinding assay. A similar study of anti-TSDA antibody responses on different strains of GP demonstrates that Strain 13 GP are high responders and PLLhr guinea pigs are nonresponders, whereas the responses of Strain 2 and PLLlr GP are intermediate. Furthermore, 100% of vasectomized F1 GP between Strain 13 females and PLLhr males produce anti-TSDA antibody. Of the vasectomized back-cross GP between the F1 and PLLhr, 46% produce anti-TSDA antibody, 54% do not. These data provide strong evidence that autoimmune antibody response to sperm surface antigens in vasectomized GP is controlled by a single dominant autosomal or X-linked gene. Antisera from vasectomized Strain 13, F1, and back-cross GP are found to react with 3 major polypeptides (MW 63, 37, and 22 kd) on sperm surface that can be radioiodinated and extracted by NP-40.