ANTIBODIES AGAINST MOUSE OVARIES AND THEIR EFFECT ON FERTILIZATION IN VITRO AND IN VIVO IN THE MOUSE

Recent studies on the antigenicity and immunogenicity of mammalian ovaries and eggs have shown that iso- or heteroimmunization with ovarian tissue will yield antibodies with which several ovarian antigens can be detected. Immuno-fluorescence techniques have shown that these antigens are localized in the zona pellucida, the theca interna and in atretic follicles (Porter, 1965; Porter, Highfill & Winovich, 1970a, b; Ownby & Shivers, 1972; Sacco & Shivers, 1973a, b, c, d). Antisera (by precipitate formation) modified the surface of the zona pellucida of hamster and rabbit ova to such an extent that it even became inert to the lytic effects of trypsin (Ownby & Shivers, 1972; Sacco & Shivers, 1973a). In hamsters, these antibodies blocked penetration of the zona pellucida by spermatozoa in vitro (Shivers, Dudkiewicz, Franklin & Fussell, 1972). Shahani, Padbidri & Rao (1969, 1972) demonstrated inhibition of conception in vivo in mice by antisera against mouse ovaries, but did not explain the mechanism of their effect in detail. The aim of the present study was to investigate the specificity and mechanism of the effect of heteroimmun