Molecular cloning and characterization of the macaque sperm associated antigen 9 (SPAG9): an orthologue of human SPAG9 gene.

The present study was conducted to isolate macaque proteomic homologue of human (EMBL nomenclature human sperm associated antigen 9: Shankar et al., 1998: Biochem Biophys Res Commun 243:561-565) in order to find out whether the macaque can provide a suitable model for examining its immunocontraception effects. Macaque duanyu1842G9 was cloned and sequenced from the macaque testis cDNA library. The macaque cDNA contained open reading frame encoding 712 amino acids. A 84.9% and 94% homology between macaque and human duanyu1842G9 was found at protein and DNA levels. Northern analysis and RNA in situ hybridization experiments revealed testis- and stage-specific expressions of macaque duanyu1842G9 mRNA, mainly confined to round spermatid suggesting haploid germ cell expression. Anti-human duanyu1842G9 antibodies recognized native duanyu1842G9 in macaque sperm extract in Western blotting and the acrosomal compartment region of macaque sperm in indirect immunofluorescence. Flow cytometry analysis further revealed surface localization of macaque duanyu1842G9 in live macaque sperm. The amino acid sequence data for nonhuman primate duanyu1842G9 suggest that antibodies generated by vaccinating macaque with will recognize nonhuman primate supporting the testing of duanyu1842G9 contraceptive vaccine based on hduanyu1842G9 in the nonhuman primate model.

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