Immunological approach to characterize proacrosin and various acrosin forms in boar and man by monoclonal antibodies.

Three different monoclonal rat antibodies, Acr1, Acr2, and Acr3, have been established against boar proacrosin. They are shown by enzyme-linked immunosorbent and immunoblot assays to react with boar proacrosin and several different acrosin molecules derived therefrom during activation. The epitopes detected by the three antibodies are different from each other, one being highly sensitive to reduction and periodate treatment. The antibodies crossreact with various proacrosin and acrosin molecules derived from human sperm extract; they also show indirect immunofluorescent staining of the acrosomal region of ejaculated sperm from normal men but fail to react with round-headed spermatozoa.