Analysis of the distribution of binding sites for the plant lectinBandeiraea simplicifolia I-isolectin B4 on primary sensory neurones in seven mammalian species

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Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the binding patterns of the plant lectin Bandeiraea simplicifolia I‐isolectin B4 (BSI‐B4) to sensory neurones in seven mammalian species. The dorsal root ganglia and spinal cords of three rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, flying foxes, cats, and marmoset monkeys were screened for BSI‐B4 using lectin histochemistry. BSI‐B4 binding was associated with the soma of predominantly small‐diameter primary sensory neurones in the dorsal root ganglia and their axon terminals within laminae I and II of the superficial dorsal horn in all seven species. The similarities of lectin binding patterns in each of these species suggest that the glycoconjugate to which BSI‐B4 binds has a ubiquitous distribution in mammals, and supports the proposal that this lectin may preferentially bind to a subpopulation of sensory neurones with a similar functional role in each of these species. Anat Rec 268:105–114, 2002.