Aging Phenomena in Spermatozoa. IV. Immunoserologic Characterization of the Deoxyribonucleic Acid-Protein Extracted from Fresh and Aged Bovine Spermatozoa

The deoxyribonucleic acid-protein complex was extracted from fresh and aged bovine spermatozoa and characterized by immunoserologic techniques. Seventeen five- to eight-month-old rabbits were injected with the deoxyribonucleic acid-protein complex, or the deoxyribonucleic acid-protein complex treated with ribonuclease, deoxyribonuclease, or both, respectively. Rabbits injected with washed spermatozoa, seminal plasma, trypsin, ribonuclease, deoxyribonuclease, or both ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease, were used as a control. The antibody response of the rabbits immunized with these antigenic materials were measured by the fluorescent antibody, tube latex agglutination, gel double-diffusion precipitation, and immunoelectrophoresis techniques. On the basis of the experimental evidence in this study, it appeared that the deoxyribonucleic acid-protein complex extracted from the aged spermatozoa was a different antigenic moiety from the deoxyribonucleic acid-protein complex extracted from the fresh sperm cells.