INITIAL EVALUATION OF FERTILIN AS AN IMMUNOCONTRACEPTIVE ANTIGEN AND MOLECULAR-CLONING OF THE CYNOMOLGUS MONKEY FERTILIN BETA-SUBUNIT

Fertilin (PH-30) is a sperm surface protein that functions in sperm ad hesion and fusion with the egg plasma membrane. Because of its essenti al function in fertilization, fertilin is a potential target for novel contraceptive approaches. In a pilot fertility trial, immunization of male guinea pigs with purified guinea pig fertilin resulted in comple te infertility. The contraceptive effect was partial (two out of six a nimals were infertile) when female guinea pigs were immunized with the antigen. These results suggest that fertilin or domains of fertilin m ay be effective as immunocontraceptive antigens. As a step toward achi eving this goal, we communicate the cDNA acid deduced amino acid seque nce of the monkey fertilin beta subunit. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.