Phenotypic characterization of normal and neoplastic canine endothelial cells by lectin histochemistry

Cell surface glycoconjugate expression of endothelial cells in canine cutaneous hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas was compared to normal cutaneous endothelial cells using eight different lectins (with and without neuraminidase pretreatment) in an indirect immunoperoxidase technique. Direct comparison of lectin binding pattern of neoplastic endothelial cells with adjacent normal endothelial cells revealed minor changes in the binding intensity of several lectins (enhanced: Wheat germ agglutinin [WGA]; reduced: Griffonia simplicifolia-I [GS-I], Ricinus communis agglutinin-I [RCA-I], Soybean agglutinin after neuraminidase pretreatment [Neu-SBA], and Wheat germ agglutinin after neuraminidase treatment [Neu-WGA]). Neoplastic endothelial cells in some tumors exhibited varying binding of Ulex europaeus agglutinin-I (UEA-I; not binding to normal canine endothelial cells) and no Soybean agglutinin (SBA) binding (variably binding to normal endothelial cells in small cutaneous vessels). Lectin binding of neoplastic cells was rather heterogenous within one tumor compared to the uniform binding pattern of normal endothelial cells. These lectin binding studies demonstrate the phenotypic heterogeneity of neoplastic endothelial cells, indicating changes of cell surface glycosylation during neoplastic transformation.