Electron microscopic localization of chitin using colloidal gold labelled with wheat germ agglutinin

The lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) has a binding site which is able to bind a sequence of three N-acetyl-glucosamine residues. Therefore, it has a very strong affinity for the polymers of this sugar, especially chitin. Colloidal gold can be labelled with WGA and used as a specific electron-dense marker for the electron-microscopic localization of chitin. The specificity of the WGA-gold binding can be checked by competitive inhibition with 5-10 mM triacetyl chitotriose. The reliability of this method was tested in three species. In the formation zone of the radula of the snail, Biomphalaria glabrata Say, chitin or chitin precursors were localized in vesicles of the odontoblasts, outside the extremely long microvilli of odontoblasts and in the newly formed teeth. The inner peritrophic envelope of the earwig, Forficula auricularia L., is characterized by an orthogonal texture of bundles of microfibrils that are thought to contain chitin. The presence of chitin was proved using the present method. In the peritrophic membranes of the blowfly, Calliphora erythrocephala Meigen, it was possible to differentiate between chitin and glycoproteins which have N-acetylglucosamine residues.