Histochemical staining using lectin probes.

In histochemistry and cytochemistry, lectins are often used as probes for the localization of carbohydrates in cells and tissues. With lectins, cells and tissues can be identified as a particular type or a group in situ. Various lectins have been used for mapping of normal cells and tissues, pathological diagnosis such as malignant transformation, and identification of cell lineages during development. This chapter describes light and electron microscopic methods using lectin probes for determining carbohydrate localization in cells and tissues.