REACTIVATION OF THE FEULGEN REACTION OF RAM SPERMATOZOA BY DITHIOTHREITOL

Abstract

Reduction in the intensity of staining by the Feulgen reaction for DNA has been demonstrated in mammalian spermatids during spermiogenesis (Gledhill, Gledhill, Rigler & Ringertz, 1966) and in spermatozoa during transit through the epididymis (Gledhill, 1966, 1971; Bouters, Esnault, Ortavant & Salisbury, 1967; Bouters, Esnault, Salisbury & Ortavant, 1967). On the other hand, it has been reported that there is a reactivation of the Feulgen reaction for spermatozoa in the female genital tract (Chang, 1959; Esnault, Orgebin-Crist & Ortavant, cited by Orgebin-Crist, 1969). As these variations in the intensity of the Feulgen reaction are not related to changes in DNA concentration as measured by ultraviolet absorption, it is likely that they are due to chemical alteration of deoxyribonucleoprotein (Gledhill et al., 1966). This paper gives the results of measurements of