Light and electron microscopic demonstration of sialic acid residues with the lectin from Limax flavus: a cytochemical affinity technique with the use of fetuin-gold complexes

J Roth, J M Lucocq, P M Charest

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The development of a cytochemical affinity technique for the demonstration of sialic acid residues by light and electron microscopy is reported. The lectin from the slug Limax flavus, with its narrow specificity for N-acetyl- and N-glycolylneuraminic acid, was applied to tissue sections. Subsequently fetuin-gold complexes were used to visualize the tissue-bound lectin. Different cytochemical controls, including sugar inhibition tests, neuraminidase digestion, the use of fetuin-gold complexes alone, or acid hydrolysis of sections, proved the specificity of the technique. Postembedding staining was performed on frozen, paraffin, or semithin resin sections for light microscopy and on thin sections from low temperature Lowicryl K4M-embedded material for electron microscopy. The distribution of sialic acid residues in rat pancreas, liver, and colonic mucosa was investigated.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1167-1176
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry
Volume32
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 1984

Keywords

  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Colon
  • Gold
  • Histocytochemistry
  • Lectins
  • Liver
  • Male
  • Microscopy
  • Microscopy, Electron
  • Pancreas
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred Strains
  • Sialic Acids
  • Snails
  • alpha-Fetoproteins

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