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Binding of concanavalin A and ricin to synaptic junctions of rat brain

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Abstract

THE synaptic junction is the intercellular contact where bioelectrical impulses are transferred and transformed by neurotransmitters. The molecular mechanism of impulse transformation is still largely unknown. To understand this process, a detailed knowledge of the structure of the synaptic apparatus is essential. The available information on the morphology and cytochemistry of synapses has recently been reviewed1. To arrive at a more precise morphological characterisation of the synaptic junction with respect to carbohydrate moieties2,3, we investigated the capacity of the plant lectins concanavalin A (con A) and ricin, labelled with ferritin4, to bind to isolated synaptosomes (that is, pinched-ofT axon terminals) and synaptic junctions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Laboratories, Pharmaceuticals Division, Ciba-Geigy, CH–4002, Basel, Switzerland

    HELMUT BITTIGER

  2. Friedrich Miescher Institut, Basel, Switzerland

    HANS PETER SCHNEBLI

Authors
  1. HELMUT BITTIGER
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  2. HANS PETER SCHNEBLI
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BITTIGER, H., SCHNEBLI, H. Binding of concanavalin A and ricin to synaptic junctions of rat brain. Nature 249, 370–371 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/249370a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/249370a0

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