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A Constituent of Male Sperm Antagglutin related to Vitamin E

Nature volume 174, pages 600–601 (1954)Cite this article

Abstract

THROUGH a number of unknown factors in the male and the female genital apparatus, the head surface of mammalian spermatozoa is influenced in such a way as to bring about agglutination. This state of the cell surface is probably in some way important for the fusion at fertilization. On the other hand, agglutinated spermatozoa are unable to fertilize1, and the tendency to agglutinate is normally opposed by a special proteid produced in the prostatic gland. This was called ‘sperm antagglutin’2. From this proteid a group may be split off with the same biological potencies as the native substance. Sperm antagglutin, as well as its active group, occurs in reduced and oxidized forms, which may be reversibly transformed into each other. In both cases only the reduced form is biologically active. The active group was shown, inter alia, to contain sugar2 and probably also sulphuric acid residues3.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Zoophysiology, University of Uppsala,

    P. E. LINDAHL & J. E. KIHLSTRÖM

Authors
  1. P. E. LINDAHL
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  2. J. E. KIHLSTRÖM
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LINDAHL, P., KIHLSTRÖM, J. A Constituent of Male Sperm Antagglutin related to Vitamin E. Nature 174, 600–601 (1954). https://doi.org/10.1038/174600a0

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