Con A- and WGA-binding sites on bovine epididymal spermatozoa: TEM of specimens in toto

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Abstract
Binding sites for Con A [concanavalin A] and WGA [wheat germ] were detected on bovine spermatozoa during epididymal maturation. Colloidal Au was used as an EM-maker. The spermatozoa were treated according to a 2-step method for lectin and colloidal Au, then adsorbed to Lys-coated Ni grids and subsequently examined by TEM in toto. This method rapidly got information about the topographic distribution of lectin-binding sites. Major differences exist for WGA between caput and cauda spermatozoa. Conceding that cell-thickness poses some limitation, this method could be practical and especially useful in studies concerning topographic distribution of cell surface components in single cell systems.