Studies on Hydrolytic Enzymes of Chimpanzee Semen

Abstract

The distribution of lysosomal hydrolases in sperm acrosomes and seminal plasma was studied in semen samples (n = 9) obtained from six chimpanzees by automasturbation. Most of the hydrolytic enzymes can be extracted by the MgCl2, step from spermatozoa. β-N-Acetylhexosaminidase and hyaluronidase showed highest specific activity in the MgCl2 extract. The specific activities of arylsulfatase, β-glucuronidase, and α-L-fucosidase were 4–8 times higher in the detergent extract. The seminal plasma showed high activities of acid and alkaline phosphatases and low specific activity of β-galactosidase. The acidic forms of these enzymes predominated in the seminal plasma as shown both by the DEAE-cellulose chromatography and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Concanavalin A Sepharose chromatography confirmed the glycoprotein nature of these enzymes and gave 2–25-fold purification.