Estimation of nonspecific lectin-mediated staining of glutaraldehyde-fixed cells.

Lectin-mediated stainings are widely used for the visualization of carbohydrate-carrying cellular components using the electron microscope. The use of glutaraldehyde-fixed cells for these stainings introduces the possibility of low nonspecific lectin-trapping by the glutaraldehyde which coats the cells. This trapping was estimated by means of peroxidase-binding to human leukocytes. Tetrahymena pyriformis and Escherichia coli cells and was shown to be prevented by rinsing the glutaraldehyde-fixed cells in an amino solution before exposure to the lectin.