Lectin binding patterns in salivary glands treated with amylase

The chicken anterior lingual glands: structural study of carbohydrate chains by lectins and glycosidases

Lectin histochemistry combined with glycosidase digestion was used to investigate the presence of glucidic residues and identify the terminal residues and their acceptor sugars in these glands. Quantitative evaluation of lectin-positive sites was made by histophotometrical scanning. Lectin histochemistry demonstrated that the anteromedial portion contains disaccharides sialic acid-D-Gal, sialic acid-D-GalNAc and Fuc-D-Gal, and that the anterolateral portion contains the terminal dimer sialic acid-D-Gal only. These findings have hypothetical significance in terms of the known functions of chicken anterior lingual glands.

Glycoconjugate composition of mammalian parotid glands elucidated in situ by lectins and glycosidases

Sugar specific lectins (PNA, RCA I, LPA, SBA, DBA, GSA IB4, GSA II, WGA, LTA, UEA I, Con A, LCA) with and without prior selective glycosidase digestion (sialidase, alpha-fucosidase, alpha-mannosidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, alpha- and beta-galactosidase, beta-glucosidase) were used in order to investigate the distribution of native accessible carbohydrates and obtain information dealing with the composition of terminal disaccharides within glycoconjugates present in acinar compartments and ductal segments of mammalian (mouse, rat, hare, and rabbit) parotid glands. Glycoconjugates containing variable amounts of mannose, glucose, N-acetylgalactosamine and N-acetylglucosamine were present in the parotid glands of all species. However, these carbohydrate chains exhibited a different composition of terminal sequences within each type of gland. For example, sialylated components having the terminal dimers sialic acid-galactose and sialic acid-N-acetylgalactosamine were found in all acinar cells, whereas fucoglycoconjugates with terminal disaccharide fucose-galactose were localized in the rat striated ducts and hare acinar cells. The terminal sequence alpha-galactose-beta-galactose was demonstrated in the mouse acinar cells. Finally, glycoconjugates characterized by the terminal dimer beta-galactose-N-acetylgalactosamine were demonstrated in the mouse acinar and ductal cells and the rat ductal ones. Thus, present findings outlined and further confirmed the possibility to elucidate the oligosaccharide structure in situ using lectin histochemistry combined with enzymatic degradation.

Enzymatic degradation and quantitative lectin labeling for characterizing glycoconjugates which act as lectin acceptors in cat submandibular gland

Sites of binding of eight different lectins (LTA, UEA I, WGA, SBA, DBA, CON A, PNA, RCA I) to cat submandibular gland were studied after exposure of tissue sections to sialidase, alpha-fucosidase, beta-galactosidase, alpha-mannosidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase. All lectins were affected by enzymatic predigestion and the labeling of individual lectins was highly dependent upon the glycosidase used to pretreat the sections. Glycoconjugates of demilunar, acinar and ductal cells exhibited a different composition of terminal sequences. For example, fucose proved to form the disaccharide fucose-galactose in demilunar and acinar cells, whereas it was present with the sequence fucose-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in striated duct cells. Sialic acid participated both to the terminal sequence sialic acid-galactose and sialic acid-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine either in demilunar or in ductal cells. Lectin labeling combined with glycosidase digestion was also helpful in verifying the influence of neighbouring oligosaccharides on the affinity of lectins for the respective sugars.

Visualization of carbohydrate chains in rabbit salivary glands by means of enzymatic degradation and plant lectins

We investigated the structure of glycoconjugates contained within the secretory end-pieces and ductal segments in the rabbit submandibular and sublingual glands. Glycosidic sequences were examined by means of enzymatic degradation with specific glycosidases (sialidase, alpha-fucosidase, beta-galactosidase, alpha-mannosidase) followed by lectin binding with PNL-HRP, WPL-HRP, WGL-HRP, SBL-HRP, Con A-HRP. It was found that this procedure represents a valid tool for studying carbohydrates, in so far as their characterization and localization were based only on colour reactions. In particular, this research showed that sialic acid was present in the terminal dimers sialic acid-beta-galactose and sialic acid-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine within the submandibular gland, whereas in the sublingual gland it was only present as the sequence sialic acid-beta-galactose. Conversely, fucose had as the subterminal sugar N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in both glands. Also, elucidations about structural sequences concerning other non-terminal sugars were obtained.

Distribution difference of lectin binding in salivary gland treated with sialidase and trypsin

Histochemical evaluation of complex carbohydrates in the salivary glands from rodents following sialidase and trypsin treatment were reported by the use of lectins binding technique which specifically link to corresponding sugar residues in macromolecules. Lectin staining in salivary gland generally increased following 1 h sialidase treatment, particularly in guinea-pig specimens. Lectin staining followed by treatment of trypsin (30 min) showed in increase in staining which is characteristic of UEA-I lectin. In long duration treated sections, by either sialidase or trypsin, lectin staining usually decreased in salivary glands. In the present study, complex carbohydrates of salivary glands may be hydrolyzed and degraded by sialidase and trypsin treatments, and lectin binding affinity is then also enhanced due to exposed sugar residues in complex carbohydrates.

Different bindings to lectin in human submandibular gland after enzymatic digestion

Lectin binding affinities were described in human submandibular gland (SMG) in the paraffin sections following alpha-amylase, sialidase, and trypsin digestions. Lectins in the present study were used Con A (Glc, Man binding lectins), PNA, and SBA(Gal, GalNAc), RCA-1(Gal), DBA(GalNAc), WGA(GlcNAc), and UEA-1(Fuc). Lectin stainings in serous and mucous acinar cells and ductal epithelia were reported to compare enzyme treated and nontreated sections. Amylase treatment showed increasing Con A staining in connective tissue fibers and no marked changes in SMG to lectin bindings. Sialidase digestion was characteristically intense in PNA and SBA bindings in SMG cells, and also enhanced staining to UEA-1 in serous and duct cells and to WGA in mucous and duct cells were noted. Trypsin digestion indicated a slight increase to Con A binding, and was relatively strong to UEA-1 in serous and duct cells and a little strong to WGA. The results suggested that SMG serous cells contain higher amounts of Gal, GalNAc, and Fuc residues; and mucous cells were also abundant in Gal, GalNAc, and GlcNAc residues.

Lectin-binding patterns in the developing tooth

The lectin-binding patterns of the cells involved in amelogenesis and dentinogenesis in developing teeth of rats were studied. Undifferentiated odontogenic epithelia exhibited very slight staining with almost all of the lectins examined. The lectin-staining affinities of secretory ameloblasts could be divided into two categories: Concanavalin-A (Con-A), Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and Soybean agglutinin (SBA) binding occurred from the middle to apical cytoplasm, whereas Ricinus communis agglutinin-I (RCA-I) and Ulex europeus I (UEA-I) binding predominated in the basal regions. The cells of the stratum intermedium exhibited relatively strange lectin staining, which appeared to be dependent on ameloblastic maturation. The basement membranes in undifferentiated epithelia were markedly positive for lectin binding. Odontoblasts showed moderate Con-A staining on the apical side of the cells, as well as slight-to-moderate reactions with WGA and SBA. Pulp cells and dental papillae showed slight-to-moderate lectin staining, and predentin and dentin were also moderately positive for Con-A and RCA-I binding and slightly so for WGA and SBA. The lectin-binding affinities were enhanced during the formation of enamel and dentin, and appeared to be dependent on the degree of cellular differentiation in ameloblasts and odontoblasts.