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Biology of Reproduction, Vol 12, 464-470, Copyright © 1975 by Society for the Study of Reproduction

Endonuclease Activity in Bull Semen, Testis and Accessory Sex Organs

YOSHINORI TANIGAWA 1, KOICHIRO YOSHIHARA 1, , and SAMUEL S. KOIDE 1

1 The Biomedical Division, The Population Council, The Rockefeller University, New York. N.Y. 10021


The acid and alkaline endonuclease activities present in bull semen and accessory sex organs were measured by determining the amount of radioactive material solubilized from [3H]DNA gel. The alkaline endonuclease (pH 7.5) required Ca2+ plus Mg2+ for activity, while the acid endonuclease (pH 5.5-6.0) required Ca2+ or Mg2+ for activity. High Ca2+, Mg2+-dependent alkaline endonuclease activity was found in seminal plasma, prostate and seminal vesicle while sperms possessed low activity, suggesting that the seminal plasma enzyme was a secretory product of the accessory sex organs. The highest Mg2+-dependent acid endonuclease activity was found in the cytosol fraction of testis.

To establish that the enzyme present in seminal plasma was an endonuclease, calf thymus DNA was incubated with seminal plasma enzyme preparation and the DNA analyzed by centrifugation in an alkaline sucrose gradient. A shift in the DNA peak to the top portion of the tube was observed, indicating that smaller components of DNA were formed by endonucleolytic cleavage. When chromatins obtained from rat liver and testis were incubated with alkaline endonuclease from seminal plasma, the template activity for DNA synthesis was markedly increased. This finding suggests that alkaline endonuclease of seminal plasma is capable of activating chromatin for DNA synthesis in vitro.

 Accepted on November 19, 1974






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Copyright © 1975 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction.