Differences in glycocalyx composition between cells of the cortical thick ascending limb of Henle and the macula densa revealed by lectin-gold cytochemistry.

The glycocalyx composition of cells from the macula densa and the cortical thick ascending limb of Henle was examined in rabbit kidney by means of the lectin-gold technique. A quantitative evaluation at the ultrastructural level showed that macula densa cells had a considerably greater affinity for Helix pomatia lectin than adjacent cells of the thick ascending limb. Wheat germ lectin and concanavalin A bound equally well to both cell types. This difference in plasma membrane glycocalyx composition may be an important aspect of the functional differentiation of cell types in this specialized nephron segment.