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Science 9 November 1979:
Vol. 206. no. 4419, pp. 698 - 700
DOI: 10.1126/science.206.4419.698
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Articles

Lectin-Induced Mucus Release in the Urn Cell Complex of the Marine Invertebrate Sipunculus nudus (Linnaeus)

SANTO V. NICOSIA 1

1 Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pathology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104

The mucociliary urn cell complex of the marine coelomate Sipunculus nudus secretes mucus 4 to 5 minutes after being exposed to Lotus tetragonolobus and Ricinus communis I agglutinins. Surface binding of both lectins is confined to the secretory area of the urn cell complex and, like the release of mucus, is inhibited by the specific saccharides L-fucose and D-galactose or by incubation in L-fucosidase and D-galactosidase. Mucus secretion may therefore be initiated by the interaction of mucus-releasing stimuli with fucosyl or galactosyl residues of specific membrane receptors.

Submitted on January 30, 1979
Revised on June 26, 1979


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Food Components and Caries.
W.H. Bowen (1994)
Advances in Dental Research 8, 215-220
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)