PLASMA-MEMBRANE GLYCOPROTEINS OF MATURE AND IMMATURE DRONE HONEY-BEE (APIS-MELLIFERA L) SPERMATOZOA - LECTIN-BINDING AS SEEN BY LIGHT AND ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

Lectin binding is an accepted procedure for studying surface propertie s of gamete membranes. The procedure has not been widely used in inver tebrates. Glycoproteins present on cell membranes in spermatozoa of Ap is mellifera L. drones, may play a role in oocyte-spermatozoon recogni tion. We studied the distribution of the glycoproteins and changes in their composition associated with maturation of the drones, using lect in binding. Semen samples were collected from ejaculates and seminal v esicles of mature (n=100) and from seminal vesicles of immature (n=50) drones. After additional preparation, semen aliquots were incubated i n a biotinylated solution with lectins Bauhinia purpurea (BPA), Canava lina ensiformis (ConA) and Arachis hypogea (PNA). Qualitative binding differences were observed with light and transmission electron microsc opy. In mature drones, the 3 lectins showed the staining patterns char acteristic for each lectin, but there were no differences in binding b etween spermatozoa from seminal vesicles and from ejaculates. Spermato zoa from immature drones showed binding only with BPA. Observation wit h electron microscopy confirmed the findings seen with light microscop y. Our findings support the hypothesis that spermatozoal plasma membra ne surface undergoes changes in some glycoprotein composition as the d rone matures, and that in the mature drone, there are no such changes during the passage through the ductus deferens at ejaculation.