Lectin probes of glycoconjugates in human salivary glands: 1

Research into the oligosaccharide content of glycoproteins in saliva indicates that serous saliva primarily contains N-glycosidically linked carbohydrate chains with high concentrations of mannose, whereas mucous saliva contains a predominance of O-glycosidically linked carbohydrate chains with high concentrations of terminal fucose and N-acetylneuraminic acid molecules. These differences between serous and mucous saliva can be visualized morphologically in salivary gland tissues by differential lectin binding in acinar cells and duct contents. This study utilizes a fluorescein-labelled lectin-binding method to demonstrate these differences and to study the characteristics of ductal and myoepithelial cells in salivary gland tissues. The results generally confirm the predictable differential binding.