Electrophoretic pattern of sorbitol dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.1.1.14) in human seminal plasma and spermatozoa

Abstract

An electrophoretic study of sorbitol dehydrogenase (SORD) in sperm and seminal plasma (SP) was realized. In SP, three phenotypes (one slow band, one fast, and both bands) were observed, corroborating the electrophoretic variability of SP-SORD formerly reported by us, while, in sperm, SORD showed a phenotype of one band faster than the one of SP. Biochemical studies showed that thiol groups participate in the mobility of the SP fast band; furthermore, an interchange of the bands of SP-SORD was observed which suggests that the isozymes are due to conformational isomerism or to molecular aggregates.