Physiological aggregation of lectin functional domains into active inclusion bodies would provide a simple tool for glycocode reading by well-established agglutination assays.

Direct activation of the fat cell n-glucose transport system by the lectin concanavalin A was studied using a rapid filtration procedure which monitors 3-O-[3H]methylglucose uptake in isolated brown fat cells. Transport of this nonmetabolized D-glucose analogue, which occurs by facilitated diffusion, was linear for 5 or more min, temperature-dependent, and inhibited by unlabeled n-glucose, phlo...

The Franklin and Dukes (FD) test is used as a screening test for the determination of sperm-agglutinating antibodies and as a proof of therapeutic effects in cases of infertility, but various parameters of the FD test remain unclear and the application of different techniques has revealed highly different results. To test the statistical evidence for the FD technique, conditions regarded as opt...

The presence and distribution of surface carbohydrates in the tissues of Galba truncatula snails uninfected or after infection with Fasciola hepatica as well as on the surface of the snail-pathogenic larval stages of the parasite were studied by lectin labelling assay. This is an attempt to find similarities that indicate possible mimicry, utilised by the parasite as an evasion strategy in this...

Factors that affect sperm quality can include method of semen collection, conditions for capacitation and whether or not agglutination is present. Media and procedures for sperm washing can also impair or improve sperm function in assisted reproductive technologies. For example, the removal of seminal fluid through large volume washing is required to eliminate decapacitation activity of seminal...

Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) is a N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) binding lectin found in the albumen gland of the roman snail. As a constituent of perivitelline fluid, HPA protects fertilized eggs from bacteria and is part of the innate immunity system of the snail. The peptide sequence deduced from gene cloning demonstrates that HPA belongs to a family of carbohydrate-binding proteins recent...

Sperm competition has been studied in many gonochoric animals but little is known about its occurrence in simultaneous hermaphrodites, especially in land snails. The reproductive behaviour of the land snail Helix aspersa involves several features, like multiple mating, long-term sperm storage and dart-shooting behaviour, which may promote sperm competition. Cryptic female choice may also occur ...

Background: The glycoconjugate content of sperms indicates their physiological and fertility properties. Lectin reactivity is indicative of intact, capacitated, and acrosome-reacted sperms. In the epididymis, sperms experience maturation, glycoconjugate modification, and simultaneously, higher L-carnitine (LC) concentrations. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effects of LC and Pentoxi...