Biomaterial Database

An acrosin inhibitor in ram spermatozoa that does not originate from the seminal plasma. 1975

C R Brown, and E F Hartree

Ram seminal plasma, and ejaculated ram spermatozoa that have been washed with 0.25M sucrose, both contain acrosin inhibitor. The aim of this work was to determine whether the intracellular inhibitor originates from the seminal plasma. The amounts of inhibitor in ejaculated and epididymal spermatozoa were measured and compared with the amounts present in the seminal plasma of normal and vasectomized rams. One ejaculated ram spermatozoon contained 2.1 amol (2.1 X 10(-18) mol) of inhibitor and one epididymal spermatozoon contained 3.3 amol of inhibitor. (All molarities are mean values based on pooled ram semen or on single ejaculates from three vasectomized rams.) Calculations from results in earlier publications indicated that one ejaculated ram spermatozoon contains about 3 amol of acrosin; thus the inhibitor: acrosin ratio in washed ram spermatozoa is approximately 1. One ml of ram semen contains, on average, 3 X 10(9) spermatozoa and not more than 0.8 ml of seminal plasma. This number of ejaculated spermatozoa would contain 6.3 nmol of inhibitor, while the same number of epididymal spermatozoa would contain 9.9 nmol of inhibitor. These values exceed the quantities of inhibitor present in 0.8 ml of normal seminal plasma (approximately 1.6 nmol) or in 0.8 ml of seminal plasma from vasectomized rams (approximately 2.3 nmol). We conclude that seminal plasma is not a major source of the acrosin inhibitor that can be recovered from washed ejaculated ram spermatozoa.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D011480	Protease Inhibitors	Compounds which inhibit or antagonize biosynthesis or actions of proteases (ENDOPEPTIDASES).	Antiprotease,Endopeptidase Inhibitor,Endopeptidase Inhibitors,Peptidase Inhibitor,Peptidase Inhibitors,Peptide Hydrolase Inhibitor,Peptide Hydrolase Inhibitors,Peptide Peptidohydrolase Inhibitor,Peptide Peptidohydrolase Inhibitors,Protease Antagonist,Protease Antagonists,Antiproteases,Protease Inhibitor,Antagonist, Protease,Antagonists, Protease,Hydrolase Inhibitor, Peptide,Hydrolase Inhibitors, Peptide,Inhibitor, Endopeptidase,Inhibitor, Peptidase,Inhibitor, Peptide Hydrolase,Inhibitor, Peptide Peptidohydrolase,Inhibitor, Protease,Inhibitors, Endopeptidase,Inhibitors, Peptidase,Inhibitors, Peptide Hydrolase,Inhibitors, Peptide Peptidohydrolase,Inhibitors, Protease,Peptidohydrolase Inhibitor, Peptide,Peptidohydrolase Inhibitors, Peptide
D000176	Acrosin	A trypsin-like enzyme of spermatozoa which is not inhibited by alpha 1 antitrypsin.	Acrosomal proteinase,Akrosin,M beta-Acrosin,M beta Acrosin,beta-Acrosin, M,proteinase, Acrosomal
D000177	Acrosome	The cap-like structure covering the anterior portion of SPERM HEAD. Acrosome, derived from LYSOSOMES, is a membrane-bound organelle that contains the required hydrolytic and proteolytic enzymes necessary for sperm penetration of the egg in FERTILIZATION.	Acrosomes
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012661	Semen	The thick, yellowish-white, viscid fluid secretion of male reproductive organs discharged upon ejaculation. In addition to reproductive organ secretions, it contains SPERMATOZOA and their nutrient plasma.	Seminal Plasma,Plasma, Seminal
D012756	Sheep	Any of the ruminant mammals with curved horns in the genus Ovis, family Bovidae. They possess lachrymal grooves and interdigital glands, which are absent in GOATS.	Ovis,Sheep, Dall,Dall Sheep,Ovis dalli
D013094	Spermatozoa	Mature male germ cells derived from SPERMATIDS. As spermatids move toward the lumen of the SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES, they undergo extensive structural changes including the loss of cytoplasm, condensation of CHROMATIN into the SPERM HEAD, formation of the ACROSOME cap, the SPERM MIDPIECE and the SPERM TAIL that provides motility.	Sperm,Spermatozoon,X-Bearing Sperm,X-Chromosome-Bearing Sperm,Y-Bearing Sperm,Y-Chromosome-Bearing Sperm,Sperm, X-Bearing,Sperm, X-Chromosome-Bearing,Sperm, Y-Bearing,Sperm, Y-Chromosome-Bearing,Sperms, X-Bearing,Sperms, X-Chromosome-Bearing,Sperms, Y-Bearing,Sperms, Y-Chromosome-Bearing,X Bearing Sperm,X Chromosome Bearing Sperm,X-Bearing Sperms,X-Chromosome-Bearing Sperms,Y Bearing Sperm,Y Chromosome Bearing Sperm,Y-Bearing Sperms,Y-Chromosome-Bearing Sperms