A Purified Serum Glycopeptide from Controls and Cystic Fibrosis Patients. I. Comparison of their Mucociliary Activity on Rabbit Tracheal Explants

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Abstract
Summary: A glycopeptide with a molecular weight of approximately 5000 was purified from sera of controls and cystic fibrosis patients. Both the cystic fibrosis and control glycopeptides revealed the absence of aromatic amino acids. The effect of the purified glycopeptide on rabbit tracheal explants was examined in a double-blind fashion. The purified fraction from cystic fibrosis patients caused marked ciliary dyskinetic activity and profound mucus secretion. The equivalent fraction from controls, even in a 50-fold higher concentration, showed no apparent biological activity on rabbit tracheal explants. Speculation: A glycopeptide was purified from sera of controls and cystic fibrosis patients. The glycopeptide from cystic fibrosis patients revealed marked mucociliary activity, whereas its "normal counterpart" demonstrated no such activity. Abnormalities in some aspects of glycoprotein metabolism as a possible underlying defect in cystic fibrosis have been previously suggested. Thus, the mucociliary activity of the cystic fibrosis glycopeptide might be part of a generalized phenomenon of abnormal synthesis or degradation of glycoproteins and glycopeptides.

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