Antibodies against different cytoskeletal proteins were used to study the cytoskeletal organization of human spermatozoa. A positive staining with actin antibodies was seen in both the acrosomal cap region and the principal piece region of the tail. However, no staining was obtained with nitrobenzoxadiazol-phallacidin, suggesting that most of the actin was in the nonpolymerized form. Most of th...

Unlike vertebrates, insects do not have an Ab-based nonself recognition system, and must rely totally on innate immunity to defend themselves from microbial invaders. The most likely candidates for recognizing foreign material in insects are the lectins, which have already been shown to be important in mammalian innate immunity. The hemolymph of the cockroach, Blaberus discoidalis, contains mul...

The skin of Helix pomatia was investigated by biochemical methods and electronmicroscope. Biochemical investigations showed that Helix pomatia collagen represents a methionine-lacking collagen resistant to CNBr-cleavage. Electron microscopic studies showed a cross striation pattern of 53--57 nm.

The accuracy and sensitivity of PCR-based methods for detection of hepatitis A virus (HAV) are dependent on the methods used to separate and concentrate the HAV from the infected cells. The pH and ionic strength affect the binding affinity of the virus to cells. In this study, we initially investigated the effects of pH (4.0-10.0) and metal ions (Fe²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺) on the bin...

altered glycosylation of proteins in cancer cells is one of the main processes responsible for anaplasia, invasion and metastatic potential of neoplastic cells. lectins are nonimmunogenetic compounds which specifically detect certain terminal sugars of glycoconjugates. the aim of the present study was to identify the n-acetylgalactosamine (galnac) containing glycoconjugates in cancer cells in a...

The interactions of human genotype AO erythrocytes (red blood cells) (RBCs) with N-acetylgalactosamine-reactive lectins isolated from Helix pomatia (HPA)and from Dolichos biflorus (DBA) were studied. Binding curves obtained with the use of tritium-labeled lectins showed that the maximal numbers of lectin molecules capable of binding to human genotype AO RBCs were 3.8 x 105 and 2.7 x 105 molecul...