COMPARISON OF CD46 EXPRESSION ON THE INNER ACROSOMAL MEMBRANE OF SPERMS FROM NORMOSPERMIC AND ASTHENOSPERMIC INDIVIDUALS

M NASR ESFAHANI, A REZAEI, A BAHRAMIAN, MAHMOUD HASHEMI TABAR

Abstract


Introduction: CD46 is a membrane cofactor protein (MCP) of complement system wich is present on the membrane of all somatic cells except RBC. It is also present on the inner acrosmal membrane of human sperm. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the expression of this prote, in on the inner acrosmal membrane of sperms from normospermic and asthenospermic individuals.
Method: Semen from 6 normospermic and 17 asthenospermic individuals were examined for CD46 expression. After solublization of sperms in solublizing detergent, the solublized sperm membrane was separated from the rest of cell organelles by centrifugation. Solublized sperm membrane were divide to equal parts and SOS-PAGE gel was canied out in paired on the same gel for each sample. Western blot was carried out on half of the gel and then the nitrocellose papers were stained by a monocolonal Ab and HRP conjugate Ab. The other half were stained by silver stain for identification of MW.
Results: After scoring the stained nitrocellose papen in each groups, no statistical significant difference was observed for C046 expression between the two groups. However, a significant Spearmen correlation was observed between CD46 expression and sperm motility (r=0.597, P=0.003). The MW of C046 was between 36 to 45 KD. with a mean of 42 KD.
Discussion: This is the first report of a positive Spearmen correlation between sperm CD46 expression and sperm motility which suggest that there might be relation between CD46 expression and sperm motility.

Keywords


CD46, Cell marker, Asthenospermia