Euonymus europaeus lectin as an endothelial and epithelial marker in canine tissues

The Euonymus europaeus agglutinin (EEA) is an endothelial marker in mammalia. In canine tissues, 4 types of endothelial cells (general, nervous, arterial, hepatic) were identified by the presence of the EEA receptor and by its sensitivity to neuraminidase enhancement. In adult dogs, EEA binding saccharides had endothelial or epithelial distributions and reactivities similar to those described for human tissues. Different EEA reactivities were observed between fetal, neonatal and adult canine tissues mainly at the arterial level. These findings suggest that the development of the binding sites is not identical in dog and man. Related lectins and monoclonal antibodies were used to characterize the EEA binding site, and the probable structure of the EEA binding saccharide in endothelial cells appeared to be alpha Gal (1,3) beta Gal (1,4) GlcNAc.