Localization of blood-group-related linear poly-N-acetyllactosamine structure in different human tissues by Griffonia simplicifolia agglutinin-II staining following endo-beta-galactosidase digestion.

Endo-beta-galactosidase from Escherichia freundii cleaves polylactosaminyl structures as follows: R-GlcNAc beta I-3Gal beta I-4GlcNac beta I-R' + H2O-->R-GlcNAc beta I-3Gal + GlcNAc beta I-R'. By staining with Griffonia simplicifolia agglutinin-II following the enzyme digestion, the distribution of R-GlcNAc beta I-3Gal beta I-4GlcNAc can be demonstrated in tissue sections. This carbohydrate chain is one of the backbone structures carrying the blood-group-related antigens and, thus, localization of this structure may provide detailed information about the distribution of variants with different backbone structures. Various formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections were stained by Griffonia simplicifolia agglutinin-II with or without prior enzyme digestion and the reactivity of the agglutinin imparted by enzyme digestion was studied in the following tissues and cells: pancreatic acinar cells, gastric surface mucosae, duct cells and mucous cells of salivary glands and tracheal glands, surface epithelium of trachea, goblet cells of large intestine, columnar epithelium of uterine cervical glands, distal and collecting tubules of kidney, certain cells of anterior lobe and colloid of middle lobe of pituitary glands, epithelial reticular cells and Hassall's corpuscles of thymus and Kupffer cells of liver. In gastric surface mucosae, the reactivity of the agglutinin appeared in non-secretor individuals but not in the secretor individuals, and in mucous cells of salivary and tracheal glands the reactivity appeared in Le(a- b-) non-secretor individuals but not in Le(a + b-) non-secretor or secretor individuals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)