As part of an effort to engineer ricin antitoxins and immunotherapies, we previously produced and characterized a collection of phage-displayed, heavy chain-only antibodies (VHHs) from alpacas that had been immunized with ricin antigens. In our initial screens, we identified nine VHHs directed against ricin toxin's binding subunit (RTB), but only one, JIZ-B7, had toxin-neutralizing activity. Li...

Preliminary studies indicated that the potent insecticidal lectin, Gleheda, from the leaves of Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy) preferentially agglutinates human erythrocytes carrying the Tn (GalNAcalpha1-Ser/Thr) antigen. However, no details have been reported yet with respect to the fine specificity of the lectin. To corroborate the molecular basis of the insecticidal activity and physiologica...

Entamoeba histolytica is the causative agent of amoebiasis in humans and is responsible for an estimated 100,000 deaths annually, making it the second leading cause of death due to a protozoan parasite after Plasmodium. Pathogenesis appears to result from the potent cytotoxic activity of the parasite, which kills host cells within minutes. The mechanism is unknown, but progress has been made in...

Sialoglycoconjugates were investigated in the bovine sublingual gland by direct visualization of sialic acid with specific lectins (LPA, SNA) and by histochemical procedures combined with sialidase digestion and lectins. The most reactive histological structures were found to be acini which contained glycoconjugates with terminal disaccharides consisting of sialic acid linked to galactose or N-...

In a return to tradition, the popularity of caprine milk is on rise. However, particularly in countries with developed dairy industries based bovine milk, there risk adulteration which cheaper alternative. Thus, rapid, robust, and simple method for detection added necessary, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy appears provide solution. A matrix 115 pure artificially adulterated pasteuriz...

We have identified and characterized an N-acetylgalactosamine-4-O-sulfotransferase designated GalNAc-4-ST2 (GenBank(TM) accession number ) based on its homology to HNK-1 sulfotransferase (HNK-1 ST). The cDNA predicts an open reading frame encoding a type II membrane protein of 443 amino acids with a 12-amino acid cytoplasmic domain, a 23-amino acid transmembrane domain, and a 408-amino acid lum...