A lectin and synaptophysin study of developing brain.

Lectins which bind to carbohydrate residues of glycoconjugates can be used as histochemical markers of these substances. A battery of lectins including peanut agglutinin, ricinus communis, wheat germ agglutinin, soybean agglutinin, concanavalin ensiformis, Ulex europaeus, and Dolichos biflorus as well as synaptophysin was used on paraffin-embedded human fetal and infant brains of varying gestation (20 weeks to term) to determine whether there were changes in the pattern of glycoconjugate staining. The findings indicate that lectin binding of several of these markers changes with gestation as does synaptophysin.