Micellar mannose nanoparticles were constructed from poly{styrene-co-[(maleic anhydride)-alt-styrene]} with fluorophores or quenchers doped into the hydrophobic inner cores, allowing the direct monitoring of multivalent lectin-glycan interactions. The mannose-displaying nanoparticles bind Con A and sperm surface lectins with high affinity, suggesting their broad utility for modulating protein-c...

Seventeen saccharides were tested for their ability to bind to the trap lectins of three species of nematode-trapping fungi and prevent nematode capture. The lectin of Arthrobotrys conoides was found to be inhibited by alpha-d-glucose/d-mannose and similar saccharides. The lectins of Monacrosporium eudermatum and Monacrosporium rutgeriensis were inhibited by alpha-l-fucose and 2-deoxy-d-glucose...

A previous study demonstrated that cells of transplantable hepatocellular carcinomas were agglutinated by the plant lectin concanavalin A, while normal hepatocytes were not. In the present experiments, 95% or more of cells obtained from primary hepatocellular carcinomas which resulted from exposure of rats to N-2-fluorenylacetamide were agglutinated by this lectin. Exposure to this carcinogen a...

Glycoproteins and lectin-like proteins mediate sperm-zona pellucida interaction. The present study analysed the participation of carbohydrates in the different stages of sperm interaction with the zona pellucida in hamster, by determining the effects of different monosaccharides. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc, 1 mM) reduced sperm ability to bind to the zona pellucida. Surprisingly, spontaneous ac...

A block to polyspermy in amphibians is established at fertilization by the conversion of the vitelline envelope to the fertilization envelope. In Xenopus laevis a major ultrastructural change in the envelope at fertilization is the appearance of an electron-dense layer, termed the F layer, between the envelope and the inner-most jelly coat layer, J(1). The F layer is derived, at least in part, ...

Background and Aims: The ABO blood group system is recognized as major and clinically significant blood group. This group is not only important in terms of blood transfusion and organ transplantation, but also has been utilized in genetic, fertility and infertility researches. The objective of the present study was to evaluate a possible relationship between ABO blood group system and ASA with ...

The species-specific binding of sea urchin sperm to the egg is mediated by an egg cell surface receptor. Although earlier studies have resulted in the cloning and sequencing of the receptor, structure/function studies require knowledge of the structure of the mature cell surface protein. In this study, we report the purification of this glycoprotein to homogeneity from a cell surface complex of...

Fertilization in the brown marine algae known as fucoids, is oogamous. The naked egg cell (80 micron diam.) is fertilized by small biflagellate spermatozoids and both monoecious and dioecious species are found. Fertilization is highly species-specific and this appears to be controlled during plasmogamy. Following fusion of egg and sperm, a rapid (less than 1 min) release of polyuronide cell wal...