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Journal of Experimental Biology 26,396-409 (1950)
Published by Company of Biologists 1950

The Physiology of Sea-Urchin Spermatozoa : Catalase

LORD ROTHSCHILD ¹

¹ Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge Marine Station, Millport

1. Spermatozoa and seminal plasma of Echinus esculentus contain catalase.

2. At 15° C., 4 ml. of a suspension of semen diluted with neutral phosphate buffer in the ratio 1:13 produced in 1 min. 90µl. O₂ from an H₂O₂ solution containing 150 µl. O₂. The dry weight of semen in the suspension was 45 mg. and the number of spermatozoa 8.55x10⁹. Under the same conditions, seminal plasma obtained by centrifuging semen produced 50 µl. O₂ in 1 min. The dry weight of seminal plasma in the suspension was 12 mg. Human blood, dry weight 229.3 mg./ml., must be diluted with phosphate buffer in the ratio 1:1700 to produce the same amount of O₂ in 1 min. as the above suspension of semen. If catalatic activity is defined by the equation A_c = (gt)^-1 In {a/(a-x)}, where g = weight in g./ml. of the catalase-containing material, t = 1 min., a = initial substrate concentration (H₂O₂), and x = amount of H₂O₂ decomposed in 1 min. at 15° C., A_c = 80-100, 150-200 and 6800 respectively for sea-urchin semen, sea-urchin seminal plasma and human blood.

3. The catalatic activity of semen and seminal plasma is strongly inhibited by hydroxylamine.

4. The O₂ uptake and motility of sea-urchin spermatozoa is unaffected by M/5000 H₂O₂. Higher concentrations of H₂O₂, M/3000-5000, produce a pronounced ‘shock’ effect, from which the spermatozoa often completely recover.

5. Low concentrations of hydroxylamine, M/3000, reduce O₂ uptake and motility.

6. Sea-urchin spermatozoa are almost instantly killed by combinations of hydroxylamine and H₂O₂, at concentrations which are relatively innocuous when the substances are added separately.

7. A rough calculation indicates that a single spermatozoon contains less than 500 molecules of catalase.

8. A new method of adding H₂O₂ to catalase-containing material in a manometer is described.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. R. Claybrook and L. Nelson Flagellar Adenosine Triphosphatase from Sea Urchin Sperm: Properties and Relation to Motility Science, December 6, 1968; 162(3858): 1134 - 1136. [Abstract] [PDF]