INSTITUTUM
SERO-BACTERIOLOGICUM Hekittors 21th Marchy..1959..000.
UNIVERSITATIS 9

HELSINKI - HELSINGFORS
SUOMI —-- FINLAND

Professor J. Lederberg
Department of Genetics
School of Medicine
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Dear Professor Lederberg,

Thank you for the kind greeting from Stockholm
last December.

I have been informed that a fellowship has been awarded
to me for research work at Stanford University. Thus I can
confirm our agreement on my part. As soon as possible I shall
let you know the sheduled day of arrival in September.

Dr. Ensgraber has written to me and described the
technique used by him when he studied the glycosidase activ-
ity of lectin prevarations. A copy of the letter is enclosed.
I also enclose a manuscript which describes the ability of
lectins to differentiate between ~« andfA glycosides. ie
have continued these experiments by studying germinating
seeds of Pisum sativum (containing a lectin which is inhibited
by oeglucosides) and Laburnum alpinum (contains a lectin
which is inhibited by g-glucosides). The seeds were ground
and extracted with 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH 5.9. The centri-
fuged extract (one part) was mixed with 1 % aqueous sygar
solution (five parts) and the mixture incubated at 37° for
48 hours. Both extracts splitted maltose &-glucoside) but
not cellobiose (4 -glucoside).

The above results seem not to support the view that
lectins and glycosidases have connections. However, I should
very much like to continue this line at Stanford if vossible.
The bacterial glycosidases and hemagglutinins would be
especially interesting.

With kind regards,
Sincerely yours
Avs MowOXr

Olavi Maékela