A galactose-specific protein (RC,) isolated from Ricinus communis beans was found to give a precipitin reaction with concanavalin A. Its carbohydrate content amounted to 8-9O/,, of the total protein and was found to be rich in mannose. The interaction of RC, with galactose and lactose was measured in 0.05 M phosphate buffer containing 0.2 M NaCl (pH 6.8) by the method of conventional equilibrium dialysis. From the analysis of the binding data according to Scatchard method the association constant (Ka) a t 5 "C was calculated as 3.8 mM-l and 1.2 mM-l for lactose and galactose, respectively. In both cases the number of binding sites per molecule of RC, with molecular weight of 120000 was found to be 2 . and 0.07 ks-l respectively. The ratio kflkd (43 pM-l), that corresponds to the association constant of complex RC, -ConA,, is higher than that of mannoside * ConA, and thereby suggests that protein-protein interaction contributes significantly in stabilising glycoprotein . lectin complexes.
By means of novel, ultradeformable and self-optimizing agent carriers called transfersomes, large molecules can be brought into the body through intact permeability barriers. This permits non-invasive immunization through normal skin and gives rise to a similar or even slightly higher antibody titer than subcutaneous injections of the same immunogen formulation. The former type of immunization also results in a higher IgA/IgG ratio in the blood than the repeated immunogen injections, as shown here for a soluble protein, human serum albumin, as well as for an integral membrane protein, gap junction protein, in mice.
—Five distinct glycosaminoglycan fractions have been isolated from human brain of various age groups, by employing an improved fractionation procedure. Analysis of these fractions showed that human brain contains hyaluronic acid, chondroitin‐4‐sulphate, chondroitin‐6‐sulphate, dermatan sulphate, heparan sulphate and two unidentified low sulphated fractions. The pattern of variation of these compounds with age, indicates that they may be playing an important role in the process of myelination and brain maturation.
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