Combination of immunological and lectin reactions in affinity histochemistry: proposition of the term affinitin.

Using the series system cell receptor leads to mistletoe lectin leads to antiferritin-antibody leads to ferritin, the possibilities for combination of lectin and immunological reactions for histochemistry are discussed. The system cell antigen leads to antibody leads to labelled mistletoe (or other) lectin is recommended for visualization of cell antigens (mistletoe lectin as common immunoglobulin reagent). It is pointed out that lectin reactions do not belong to immunhistochemistry but to affinity histochemistry. For all receptor specific proteins (antibodies, lectins, enzymes, haptoglobin and other) the term affinitin is proposed. In consideration of this new definition a common scheme is formulated: Affinitin reacts with affinitin receptor forming affinity product.