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Sialic Acid as a Structural Component of Some Mammalian Tissue Cell Surfaces

Abstract

WHEN human erythrocytes are treated with trypsin, a sialomucopeptide is liberated from their surfaces1. It is a common observation that a mucoid material is liberated from mammalian cells by trypsin treatment; the release of this material is associated with a considerable loss of cellular dry mass2, and alteration of the stickiness of cells for various surfaces in vitro3. Attempts to investigate the chemical nature of the liberated mucoid4 have been largely unsuccessful, partly owing to the lack of sensitivity of the tests, and partly because the mucoid cannot be obtained free of cells.

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WEISS, L. Sialic Acid as a Structural Component of Some Mammalian Tissue Cell Surfaces. Nature 191, 1108–1109 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/1911108b0

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