Direct assay of bound sialic acids on rat spermatozoa from the caput and cauda epididymidis

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Abstract
Bound sialic acids on rat spermatozoa were assayed by oxidation with 1 mM NaIO4 at 0.degree. C, liberating C-9 as formaldehyde which was further quantitated using 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone. The mean, SD (n = 20) content of bound sialic acids of spermatozoa from the caput and cauda epididymidis was 50.9 .+-. 8.0 and 25.2 .+-. 3.8 nmol/108 spermatozoa, respectively. About 85% of the former and 75% of the latter could be extracted by 1% Triton X-100 and 2 mM dithiothreitol. About 70% of the former and 20% of the latter were released by neuraminidase from Vibrio cholerae. About 40% of the former and 30% of the latter were sensitive to trypsin. During sperm maturation, the decrease in the total bound sialic acids was due to the decrease in the neuraminidase-sensitive, but not the neuraminidase-resistant sialic acids.