ELECTROPHORETIC STUDIES OF ESTERASES OF BULL SPERMATOZOA, CYTOPLASMIC DROPLETS AND SEMINAL PLASMA

Flat be(l gradient acrylamide gel electrophoresis at constant pulsed power was used to resolve muiltiple forms of nonspecific esterases amid acetylchsolinesterases of ejaculated bull spermatozoa cytoplasmic droplets, seminal plasma and isolated spermatozoan heads, midpieces arid tail fragments. Several substrates and inhibitors were ussed to (histiniguish the esterases. Eleven distinct zones of spermatozoan non specific esterase activity not fousnd in droplets or seminal plasma were detected with a-niaphithiyl acetate as sumbstrate. All 11 zones were present in sperm heads arid tails. A single nonspecific esterase was demonstrated inn sperm heads, midpieces and tails arid in seminal plasmna with a-naphthyl hutyrate or a-naphthyl caproate. Two oilier seminal plasma nonspecific esterases were detected: one with a-naphthyl acetate arid one with a-naphthyl butyrate or a-naphthyl caproate. Three seminal plasma, two cytoplasmic droplet and one spermatozoan acetylchiolirsesterases were demonstrated with acetyithiocholine. The electrophoretic stusdies, together with previous cytochemical studies, suggested thiat certain bull seminal plasma nonspecific esterases are adsorbed by spermatozoa.