Biology of Reproduction, Vol 31, 239-243, Copyright © 1984 by Society for the Study of Reproduction

ARTICLES

Protein, cholesterol, acid phosphatase and aspartate aminotransaminase in the seminal plasma of turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) producing normal white or abnormal yellow semen

RA Hess and RJ Thurston

Turkeys which produce yellow semen have abnormal ductuli efferentes' epithelial morphology, with blebbing of cytoplasmic material into the ductal lumen. This could possibly increase the activity or concentration of seminal plasma components. In the present study, seminal plasma from 270 Large White breeder turkeys was evaluated for protein and cholesterol concentrations and the activities of acid phosphatase and asparate aminotransaminase. In a separate experiment, protein concentrations of turkey seminal plasma were estimated by biuret or Bradford methods. Bradford estimates were 46.6% less than those obtained with the biuret assay, using bovine serum albumin as the standard. Estimates of seminal plasma protein concentration in the main study were obtained using the Bradford method, and should be adjusted accordingly when compared with other studies using the biuret technique. Abnormal yellow seminal plasma, compared to normal white seminal plasma, had elevated levels of total protein and cholesterol and increased activities of acid phosphatase and aspartate aminotransaminase. Overall means were: 14.3 mg/ml, 38.9 mg/dl, 232.6 IU/ml, 81.0 IU/ml, respectively. Correlation coefficients for cholesterol concentration, acid phosphatase and aminotransaminase activity with protein concentration were +0.65, 0.70 and 0.50 (P less than 0.0001), respectively. Specific activities of both enzymes showed a significant reduction as seminal plasma protein increased, indicating a disproportionate increase in proteins other than these enzymes in yellow seminal plasma.