Sperm Associated Antigen 7 (SPAG7)

By sequencing cDNAs obtained from umbilical cord blood CD34-positive hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, Mao et al. (1998) identified SPAG7, a homolog of fox sperm acrosomal protein-1 (Fsa1). The deduced protein contains 293 amino acids.The International Radiation Hybrid Mapping Consortium mapped the SPAG7 gene to chromosome 17 (WI-8402).The correlation of anti-sperm antibodies with cases of unexplained infertility implicates a role for these antibodies in blocking fertilization. Improved diagnosis and treatment of immunologic infertility, as well as identification of proteins for targeted contraception, are dependent on the identification and characterization of relevant sperm antigens. The protein expressed by this gene is recognized by anti-sperm agglutinating antibodies from an infertile woman.