LCA and ConA-binding glycoconjugates on cricket (Teleogryllus emma) sperm surface were detected with fluorescence microscope after FITC labelling for better understanding of the distribution of glycoconjugates during spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis. FITC-LCA and FITC-ConA were bound on the spermatocytes, and their distribution changes in the process of spermiogenesis were observed .In the testis sperm, FITC-LCA and FITC-ConA were mainly bound on the head and neck region. That is different from the mark pattern of spermatophore sperm, in which the nucleus, neck region and front of the tail showed obvious fluorescence mark, especially the acrosome complex and neck region exhibited stronger mark. The mark patterns of FITC-LCA and FITC-ConA were similar,though the former was distinctly clearer than the latter. But a little difference still exists in both of them. For example in the ninth stage of spermatid, FITC-LCA mark is located on the spermatid head and neck region, and FITC-ConA mark on the spermatid head, neck and front of the tail region. When fixed germ cells were treated with PBS instead of lectin solution, or fixed cells were incubated with lectin solution, which have been treated with 0.1 mol/L specific sugar inhibitor, i.e.α-D-mannose for FITC-LCA and FITC-ConA, and α-D-glucose for FITC-ConA, no mark was observed on the cells. Those results indicate that FITC-LCA conjugated glycoconjugates has the α-D- mannose residue, and FITC-ConA conjugated glycoconjugates has the α-D-mannose and α-D-glucose residue. The investigations show that the changes in glycoconjugates distribution of cricket sperm is similar to those of other insects and mammals. The evidence exhibit that a common rule of the glycoconjugates distribution on the sperm surface is followed by most of animal sperm which may relate to the function of sperm physiology.
