Epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin) has been involved in several calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion events; however, its participation in gamete interaction has not been fully investigated. Our results have demonstrated expression of E-cadherin mRNA in the human male reproductive tract showing higher levels in the caput, corpus and cauda epididymis than in the testis. The mature 122 kDa E-cadher...

We have studied the antibodies to sexual stage antigens of Plasmodium falciparum in human sera from Papua New Guinea where intense transmission of P. falciparum occurs as well as the less prevalent P. malariae and P. vivax. In extracts of gametes of P. falciparum we have studied the reactivity of serum antibodies with antigens labeled with 125I on the surface of the gametes as well as intracell...

BACKGROUND Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced damage of membrane phospholipids and DNA in human spermatozoa has been implicated in the pathogenesis of male infertility. In this study, variations in ROS production, DNA structure (as measured by the sperm chromatin structure assay) and lipid composition, were studied in human spermatozoa at different stages of maturation. METHODS Sperm subse...

Controlling the sex of offspring by the separation of X and Y chromosome-bearing spermatozoa using flow cytometry has been reported as a clinical technique aiding prevention of X-linked diseases. Although this technique has resulted in several hundred normal births in animals and at least one human birth, there is still concern over its genetic safety due to the involvement of two potentially m...

Tyrosine nitration is a widely used marker of peroxynitrite (ONOO-) produced from the reaction of nitric oxide (NO.) with superoxide (O2(.-)). Since human spermatozoa are able to produce both NO. and O2(.-) during capacitation in vitro, we investigated whether spontaneous tyrosine nitration of proteins occurs in human spermatozoa and evaluated the physiological effects of peroxynitrite on sperm...

In a prospective, blind study, we have examined the relationship among the expression of human sperm surface progesterone receptors, the ability to undergo a mannose-stimulated acrosome reaction and the rate of fertilization in vitro. Individual aliquots of motile spermatozoa were surface-labelled with progesterone and/or mannose-fluoresceinated ligands. Spontaneous acrosome loss and the increa...