Serum lectins from the scorpionVaejovis spinigerus Wood bind sialic acids

Summary We have partially characterized the specificity of serum lectins from the scorpionVaejovis spinigerus Wood. Agglutination, crossed-absorption and hemagglutination-inhibition patterns were similar but not identical to serum lectins from other members from the family Vaejovidae, and different from the Buthidae species studied so far.V. spinigerus serum lectins bind sialic acids and sialoconjugates, but also bind 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate, uronic acids and N-acylaminosugars, all substances present in bacterial cell walls suggesting that they might be involved in defense functions.We wish to thank Dr H. L. Stahnke, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, for taxonomic assistance. This work received fellowship support from the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la República Argentina.     

Summing properties of the surround response mechanism of cat retinal ganglion cells

Summary Evidence is presented that, in the cat retina, the region in the visual field over which the surrounds of type X ganglion cells pool adaptive information corresponds to the region over which they pool signals.Acknowledgments. We wish to thank Mr O. Navarro for his valuable technical assistance. This research is supported by Public Health Service grant No. EY 00701.