Lectin histochemical characterization of the mouse, rat and human lymphoid tissues

The authors performed a comparative lectin histochemical study on lymphoid organs of three species with 12 different lectins. The T and B cell regions and the accessory cells of lymphoid tissues were studied. The species differences show that the BALB/c mouse can be a valuable tool in modelling human lymphoid tissues, whereas Wistar rats exhibit great differences in lectin binding patterns as compared with human tissues. The positivity of peanut agglutinin binding of cortical and the negativity of medullar thymocytes in mice can be regarded as an indicator of cell differentiation. The focal distribution of peanut agglutinin positivity in the centrocytic region of human and rat germinal centres marks a small B cell subpopulation at the early stage of differentiation, while Bandeira simplicifolia binding is characteristic of a broader B cell lineage, but only in rats and mice. Canavalia ensiformis lectin seems to be a reliable marker of accessory cells (dendritic and interdigitating reticulum cells as well as macrophages) in all species studied.