To assess acute-phase proteins in relation to ageing, we measured serum concentrations of C-reactive protein of AGP in 131 healthy elderly individuals (aged >/= 65 years) living independently in the community, and 47 healthy younger individuals. Concentrations of CRP in the older persons (median = 3.0 microg/ml) were significantly greater than in the younger group (median = 0.9 microg/ml, p = 0...

Two cell surface mutants of Escherichia coli isolated through supersensitivity to sodium dodecyl sulfate were found to be agglutinated by concanavalin A in the intact rod form. By using these strains, the assay method for the concanavalin A-dependent agglutination was greatly simplified since neither spheroplast formation nor protease treatment is needed. This rod cell agglutination was charact...

from the fermentation broth of Aspergillus candidus RF-5672 (FERM BP-5882), which was isolated from a soil sample collected on Shodo Island, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. In this communication, we report the fermentation, isolation, structure elucidation and biological properties of these terprenins. The activities of the terprenins found were evaluated with respect to proliferation of mouse spleen...

\Ve llave determined the crystal structure of demetallized concanavalin A, at a resolution of 3.2 8, by rnolecnlar replacement using the knowd structure of native concanavalin A. Refinement of the initial model using a, constraint-restraint reciprocal-space least-squares procedure caused the conventional crystallographic agreement (11) factor t,o decrcase from 0.47 to a final valne of 0.26. The...

When the Mn(2+) and Ca(2+) ions normally present in concanavalin A are removed, the protein becomes incapable of binding saccharides. To explore the structural differences between the native and demetallized forms and their effects on the saccharide-binding properties of the protein, we have refined and compared the crystal structures of both forms. Refinement, carried out by automated differen...

Concanavalin A activates T lymphocytes in vitro and causes T-cell-dependent hepatic injury in mice. T lymphocytes were previously identified as effector cells of concanavalin A-induced liver injury. Here we report that hepatic injury is characterized by apoptotic cell death. On concanavalin A challenge, the cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha), interleukin-2, granulocyte macrophage...

The topographical distributions of concanavalin A-binding sites on the surfaces of 3T3, proteasetreated 3T3, and simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 cultured mouse fibroblasts appear to be different, as shown by a shadow-cast replica technique using concanavalin A and a hemocyanin marker, or as shown previously on isolated membranes with concanavalin A coupled to ferritin. However, chemical fixatio...

1. Concanavalin A formed precipitates with polyelectrolytes such as fucoidan, RNA, heparin and bacterial lipopolysaccharides. 2. Precipitate formation also occurred between ficoll and concanavalin A. 3. Precipitate formation between concanavalin A and dextran or soluble starch was induced by the incorporation of phosphate groups into the unreactive glucans. 4. Introduction of polar groups, such...