Related Experiment Videos
Comparative flow cytometric analysis of the human sperm acrosome reaction using CD46 antibody and lectins
J A Carver-Ward1, I M Moran-Verbeek, J M Hollanders
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Purpose:
Our purpose was to determine the most suitable marker for the human sperm acrosome reaction, based on detection of CD46 antibody binding compared with lectin binding.
Methods:
Flow cytometric analysis of CD46 antibody versus lectins (PNA, PSA, and Con A) was used to quantify the acrosome reaction of human sperm.
Results:
Neither PSA nor Con A was able to detect significant changes in the spontaneous and ionophore-induced acrosome reactions compared to CD46 antibody. However, PNA was found to exhibit a binding pattern similar to that observed with CD46 and could be used to quantify measurable changes in acrosomal response to ionophore, albeit of a lower magnitude than the responses detected by CD46.
Conclusions:
We conclude that PNA binds to the inner acrosomal membrane of acrosome-reacted sperm and is suitable for use as a marker of the acrosome reaction by flow cytometry. Data are presented which clarify the assessment of the acrosome reaction when CD46 and lectins are used.