THE AGGLUTINATION OF STARFISH SPERM BY FERTILIZIN

¹ William G. Kerckhoff Laboratories of the Biological Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California

I. Starfish sperm does not ordinarily agglutinate when treated with homologous fertilizin. However, when the sperm of some species (Patiria miniata, Pisaster ochraceus, Astropecten sp.) is treated with certain adjuvants the cells become intensely active and agglutinate when fertilizin is added. This reaction provides a means for studying the relationship between starfish sperm and fertilizin.

II. Patiria sperm will combine with homologous fertilizin and remove it from solution even in the absence of the adjuvant.

III. Cross tests between Patiria, Pisaster and Astropecten sperm and fertilizin solutions revealed no cross agglutination reactions.

IV. It is concluded that Patiria fertilizin is multivalent, since irradiated fertilizin will not agglutinate treated sperm but will inhibit the agglutination of such sperm by normal fertilizin; and since normal fertilizin will agglutinate sperm which has been freed of adjuvant.

V. It is suggested that normal Patiria sperm possesses but a single antifertilizin combining group and that more such groups are exposed on the sperm surface through the action of the adjuvant. Experiments which show that the fertilizin binding power of sperm is increased by the adjuvant support this view.

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