Abstract: | When human spermatozoa are extracted in the presence of 0.05 M benzamidine, the resulting solutions show a time dependent, sigmoidal increase of trypsin-like activity upon incubation at pH 8. Gel permeation chromatography of these extracts separates two species, P1 and P2, with apparent molecular weights of 75,000 and 42,000 respectively. P1 and P2 are both autoactivatable at pH 7–8 and the kinetic parameters of activated P1 and P2 are indistinguishable from those of human acrosin. That P1 and P2 are inactive precursors of human acrosin is shown by the fact that, in the presence of benzamidine, they are obtained instead of and in greater yield than acrosin. That P1 and P2 are zymogens is shown by the features of the activation process. |