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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Glycopeptide Capture for Cell Surface Proteomics

Glycopeptide Capture for Cell Surface Proteomics

Published on: May 9, 2014

Cell surface lectin-binding glycoconjugates on marine planktonic protists.

Emily C Roberts¹, Mikhail V Zubkov, Mercedes Martin-Cereceda

¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wales Swansea, Swansea, UK. e.roberts@swansea.ac.uk

FEMS Microbiology Letters

|December 7, 2006

Summary

This study shows that labeling live protists with FITC-lectins reveals cell surface carbohydrates crucial for phagocytosis. Fixation methods interfere with accurate surface analysis, highlighting the need for live-cell protocols.

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Area of Science:

Protistology
Cell Biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Carbohydrate-protein interactions are vital for phagocytosis in protozoa.
Understanding cell surface glycoconjugates is key to characterizing these interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the presence and localization of cell surface glycoconjugates on planktonic protists.
To develop a reliable method for studying protistan cell surface carbohydrates.

Main Methods:

Utilized FITC-labelled plant lectins to probe live and fixed planktonic protists.
Compared lectin binding patterns on live cells versus fixed cells.
Developed a protocol for labeling live protists to avoid fixation artifacts.

Main Results:

Lectin binding on live flagellates primarily occurred on external cell surfaces.
Cell fixation led to internal lectin binding (nuclear membranes, food vacuoles), obscuring surface data.
The developed method successfully labeled cell surface sugar moieties on live protists.

Conclusions:

Live-cell lectin labeling is superior for characterizing protistan cell surface glycoconjugates.
Fixation methods introduce artifacts that hinder accurate analysis of surface carbohydrates.
This protocol offers a valuable tool for future research on protistan cell surface carbohydrates and phagocytosis.