Glycoconjugates in the mandibular salivary gland of adult dogs revealed by lectin histochemistry.

The glycosidic residues in the mandibular glands of five adult dogs were studied by using seven different lectin-horseradish peroxidase conjugates. In some cases a treatment with sialidase preceded the lectin staining. The mucous acinar cells contained oligosaccharides with alpha- and beta-N-acetylgalactosamine, N-acetylglucosamine and fucose residues, whereas the demilunar cells contained glycoconjugates rich in sialic acid linked to the penultimate disaccharide galactosyl-(beta 1-->3) N-acetylgalactosamine.