Worm Breeder's Gazette 10(3): 22
These abstracts should not be cited in bibliographies. Material contained herein should be treated as personal communication and should be cited as such only with the consent of the author.
We have begun an immunological approach to identifying C. elegans male-specific proteins. We immunized a rabbit with sonicated L4 and adult males, obtaining a high-titer serum that reacted with many antigens common to both males and hermaphrodites as assayed on immunoblots. To increase its male-specificity, we treated this serum with sonicated adult hermaphrodites. When assayed on immunoblots with separated proteins from males and hermaphrodites, the adsorbed serum still showed some reaction with hermaphrodite antigens, but comparisons of male and hermaphrodite lanes nevertheless allowed identification of a male-specific (or highly male-enriched) protein of about 150 kd. We would ultimately like to screen an expression library to identify the gene encoding this 150-kd protein. To enhance the specificity of the adsorbed serum, we have attempted affinity adsorption to and elution from gel blots of male proteins in the 150- kd range. We have had mixed success with this technique and have not yet reproducibly produced an antibody fraction with high specificity for the 150-kd protein.