Marcelo H. Rattoa, Yvonne A. Leducb, Ximena P. Valderramac, Karin E. van Straatend, Louis T. J. Delbaereb,1, Roger A. Piersone, and Gregg P. Adamsf,2
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/08/15/1206273109.abstract
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/sexual-health/Hormone+semen+behind+oops+babies+researchers/7124802/story.html
A component in seminal fluid elicits an ovulatory response and has
been discovered in every species examined thus far. The existence of
an ovulation-inducing factor (OIF) in seminal plasma has broad impli-
cations and evokes questions about identity, tissue sources, mecha-
nism of action, role among species, and clinical relevance in infertility.
Most of these questions remain unanswered. The goal of this study
was to determine the identity of OIF in support of the hypothesis that
it is a single distinct and widely conserved entity. Seminal plasma
from llamas and bulls was used as representative of induced and
spontaneous ovulators, respectively. A fraction isolated from llama
seminal plasma by column chromatography was identified as OIF by
eliciting luteinizing hormone (LH) release and ovulation in llamas.
MALDI-TOF revealed a molecular mass of 13,221 Da, and 12–23 aa
sequences of OIF had homology with human, porcine, bovine, and
murine sequences of β nerve growth factor (β-NGF). X-ray diffraction
data were used to solve the full sequence and structure of OIF as
β-NGF. Neurite development and up-regulation of trkA in phaeochro-
mocytoma (PC12) cells in vitro confirmed NGF-like properties of OIF.
Western blot analysis of llama and bull seminal plasma confirmed
immunorecognition of OIF using polyclonal mouse anti-NGF, and ad-
ministration of β-NGF from mouse submandibular glands induced
ovulation in llamas. We conclude that OIF in seminal plasma is
β-NGF and that it is highly conserved. An endocrine route of action
of NGF elucidates a previously unknown pathway for the direct in-
fluence of the male on the hypothalamo–pituitary–gonadal axis of
the inseminated female.
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