N-acetylglucosamine binding activity in extracts of adult newt skin

1. Extracts of the dermis of the adult newt, Notophthalmus viridescens, contain hemagglutination activity which is specifically inhibited by N-acetylglucosamine. 2. The activity is soluble and is associated with a doublet in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels, the bands of which have relative molecular weights of 51,000 and 57,000 under both reducing and non-reducing conditions. 3. The activity requires magnesium but not calcium, cobalt, or manganese and is inhibited by barium. 4. The activity is also dependent on pH with a pH optimum between 7.0 and 7.6.