The role of sialic acid in determining the survival of circulating interferon

Rabbit interferon has been extensively desialytated and its metabolic behaviour has been evaluated in the rabbit. The half-life of asialointerferon is significantly shorter than the native interferon and its urinary excretion becomes negligible. Moreover the rapid uptake of asialointerferon by the isolated and perfused rabbit liver, suggests a hitherto unsuspected catobolic pathway for this glycoprotein.