[The properties of precipitation reactions between secretion products in the oviduct of pleurodeles: identification of a lectin].

The properties of two precipitation reactions occurring between secretory products from the oviduct of Pleurodeles waltl have been studied. It has been demonstrated that a lectin is involved in one of the reactions. This lectin precipitated glycogen and starch and required calcium; the most potent saccharide inhibitors were 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose and D-glucose, respectively. The other reaction was related to glycoproteins (probably sulfated glycoproteins) that contained sulphur. The properties of this reaction were not the same as purely ionic interactions; basic protein-acidic polysaccharide interactions have been compared. A lectin was probably implicated but this could not be demonstrated because no saccharide inhibitor was found. There are several similitudes between this reaction and the lectin-galactoside reaction which occurs in the reaction between cortical granule content and egg jellies in anurans.