Methodological approaches to the study of carbohydrate surface receptore on macrophages and tumor cells

Ultracytochemical visualization of specific carbohydrate receptors by means of lectins can provide valuable topological information about the functional status of cell surfaces in normal and transformed cells. In addition to the concanavalin A (Con A) rection and precoupling of lectin--peroxidase (PO) a new method is suggested using precoupling of the marker enzyme (PO) with an appropriated glycoprotein (glycopeptide) containing a lectin-specific carbohydrate. Furthermore, quantitative estimations of Con A reaction by means of automatic umage analysis are performed on peritoneal macrophages which point out a cluster formation, but give no hints for a loss of glycocalyx during the preparation process contrary to tumor cells.