Griffonia simplicifolia lectins bind specifically to endothelial cells and some epithelial cells in mouse tissues

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Abstract
The binding ofGriffonia simplicifolia agglutinin-I (GSA—I) and the isolectins GSA-I-AB3 and GSA-I-B4, having affinity for some α-d-galactosyl andN-acetyl galactosaminyl residues was studied in different mouse tissues. In brain, cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle, the GSA-I-lectin conjugates showed prominent binding only to blood vessel endothelia. Similarly, in the liver and kidney cortex the GSA-I-conjugates selectively reacted with endothelial cells of the sinusoids and with intertubular and glomerular capillaries, respectively. However, a strong reactivity with the GSA-I-conjugates was additionally seen in the acinar cells of the pancreas, in the stratified squamous epithelia of skin and tongue, and in transitional epithelium. SDS—PAGE electrophoresis combined with the lectin-blotting technique indicated that a similar set of glycoproteins are responsible for the GSA-I binding, even in different tissues. Another lectin with specificity for α-d-galactose, theMaclura pomifera agglutinin, displayed a distinctly different distribution of binding sites, mainly in the basement membranes, of all mouse tissues studied. The results suggest that some α-d-galactosyl residues, recognized by the binding of GSA-I lectins, are preferentially expressed in endothelial cells of mouse tissues, and also provide further evidence that endothelial cells can present a highly specific surface glycosylation pattern.