Localization of sperm antigen SP-10 during the six stages of the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium in man.

The distribution of the sperm protein SP-10 was investigated in plastic-embedded samples of human testes by light and electron microscopy. An immunogold and silver enhancement technique, in conjunction with a monoclonal antibody (MHS-10) raised against SP-10, was used to localize the protein. SP-10 was detected in spermatids at each of the six stages of the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium. Light microscopy showed immunoreactive material at the circumference of developing acrosomes in the early steps of spermiogenesis. As differentiation proceeded and cell shape changed from round to elongated, immunoreactive material appeared in an arc, which gradually became a V shape bordering the spermatid nucleus. The area of the immunoreactive material and its shape corresponded to that of the developing acrosome. At the electron microscopic level, gold particles indicative of the presence of SP-10 were detected on electron-dense material found within the developing acrosomal vesicle in early steps of spermiogenesis. As the electron density of the acrosome increased, a high concentration of gold particles was seen in the vesicle matrix. The gold particles gradually became associated with the inner and outer acrosomal membranes of the most mature spermatids.