Lectin histochemistry of canine polyglucosan bodies

Lectin histochemistry was investigated to identify sugar residues of the polyglucosan bodies of canine brain, spinal cord and caecum. The polyglucosan bodies in the brain and spinal cord stained with concanavalin A (ConA) but not with soybean agglutinin, wheat germ agglutinin, peanut agglutinin, Dolichos biflorus agglutinin, Ricinus communis agglutinin and Ulex europaeus agglutinin. Caecum polyglucosan bodies, however, did not stain with any of the seven lectins employed. After periodate oxidation, paradoxical ConA staining was observed in the polyglucosan bodies of the brain, spinal cord and caecum. These results indicate that polyglucosan bodies contain mannose and glucose residues and suggest that the component of polyglucosan bodies is partially derived from rough endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus and hypolemmal cisternae.