INVESTIGADORES
WEIGEL MUÑOZ Mariana
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Evaluation of the potential contraceptive use of hCRISP1 in a non-human primate model
Autor/es:
ELLERMAN DA,; WEIGEL MUÑOZ M; COHEN DJ; GOLDWEIC NM; DA ROS VG; TOLLNER T,; CUASNICU PS.
Lugar:
Buenos Aires
Reunión:
Jornada; Jornada de actualización en Andrología 2009. Buenos Aires, Argentina. 10 de Septiembre 2009.; 2009
Institución organizadora:
Sociedad Argentina de Andrologia
Resumen:
Evidence indicates that human epididymal
protein CRISP1 (Cystein Rich Secretory Protein 1) participates in gamete fusion
through complementary sites on the surface of the human egg. To evaluate whether
hCRISP1, as its rodent counterpart, is relevant for fertility, immunization studies
were carried out in a non-human primate model. Male and female cynomolgus
macaques (Macaca Fascicularis) were
immunized with either recombinant protein hCRISP1 coupled to MBP (Maltose Binding
Protein) or MBP alone as control (4 injections, every 25 days). ELISA of sera collected
at different intervals after immunization revealed the presence of circulating anti-hCRISP1
antibodies in animals of both sexes, with levels that increased as a function
of time. Differently from control and pre-immune groups, sera from hCRISP1-immunized
monkeys were able to specifically recognize native CRISP1 in monkey and human sperm
protein extracts when evaluated by Western blot. Sperm number, morphology and
motility in hCRISP1-immunized animals were not different from controls, suggesting
that the presence of anti-hCRISP1 antibodies would not affect sperm production
or maturation. Finally, ejaculated sperm from hCRISP1- but not MBP-immunized
animals, exhibited labelling in the acrosomal region when subjected to indirect
immunofluorescence using only second antibody, indicating the association of
the anti-hCRISP1 antibodies with sperm in vivo. In view of previous results
showing that immunization of rats with native or recombinant CRISP1 raised a
specific immune response that significantly inhibited male and female fertility,
our results in primates support both the
involvement of antibodies against hCRISP1 in human immunoinfertility, and the potential
use of this epididymal protein for the development of human fertility
regulation methods.