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Acrosomal proteolytic activity of amphibian sperm *1A direct demonstration

1972; Elsevier BV; Volume: 74; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0014-4827(72)90508-3

1090-2422

Arthur Penn, Barton L. Gledhill,

Animal Genetics and Reproduction

Acrosomes of Rana pipiens sperm are shown for the first time to contain a proteolytic factor capable of hydrolysing gelatin. 1-Chloro-3-tosylamido-7-amino-2-heptanone (TLCK), a specific inhibitor of trypsin, retarded the digestion when incorporated into the gelatin. Omission of Ca2+ from incubation media had no effect on gelatin digestion. Addition of 10 mM disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA) to Ca2+-free media strongly inhibited proteolysis. This acrosomal factor is thought to be analogous to the trypsin-like acrosomal proteinase of mammalian spermatozoa.