Abstract
The plant lectin Concanavalin-A stimulates the secretion of human chorionic gonadotropin and free alpha subunit by cultured human choriocarcinoma cells in a dose dependent and time dependent manner. This stimulation is prevented by alpha-methyl-D-mannopyranoside, a Concanavalin-A specific hapten sugar. This is the first report of a lectin stimulating the secretion of a glycoprotein hormone. Since the stimulation likely occurs subsequent to interactions at the membrane level, Concanavalin-A may represent a probe for studying membrane-related events involved in the control of human chorionic gonadotropin secretion.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1082-1087 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications |
Volume | 84 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 30 1978 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology