Effect on glutaraldehyde fixation on lectin-mediated agglutination of mouse leukaemia cells

The effect of glutaraldehyde fixation on lectin-mediated agglutination of murine leukaemia (GRSL) cells was investigated using 2 assay methods which differed in the shear forces to which the agglutinated cells were subjected. First, lectin and cells were allowed to interact under conditions in which shear forces were minimized and the degree of agglutination was evaluated microscopically by the appearance and size of the cell aggregates. This assay demonstrated that concanavalin A (con A)-, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)- or Ricinus communis agglutinin I (RCAI)-mediated cytoagglutination was unaffected (WGA and RCAI) or somewhat enhanced (con A) by prior fixation of the cells with glutaraldehyde. Secondly, an electronic particle counter was used to measure the disappearance of single cells and concomitant appearance of cell aggregates as a function of the lectin concentration. In this assay, in which the aggregated cells are subjected to significant shear forces during dilution and cell counting, agglutination of GRSL cells by each of the 3 lectins was drastically inhibited by prior fixation of the cells with glutaraldehyde. This assay also demonstrated enhanced nonlectin-induced cell aggregation after fixation. In both cytoagglutination assays about the same lectin concentration was required for threshold agglutination of unfixed cells. Comparatively, the results of the 2 cytoagglutination assays indicate that a fraction of the lectin-mediated bonds between unfixed cells is shear resistant and that fixation of the cells either weakens these bonds or inhibits their formation. Morphologically, cells prefixed with glutaraldehyde were sperical at all lectin concentrations, with a continuous dense distribution of cell surface-bound con A, labelled directly with haemocyanin or indirectly using the peroxidase-diaminobenzidine reaction. Unfixed cells showed angular and toadstool-shaped deformations, especially at the highest lectin concentrations, the agglutinating surfaces being flattened against each other over extended areas. The distribution of con A label was continuous and dense between the apposed surfaces and discontinuous on free surfaces. In the presence of con A the free surfaces of prefixed cells exhibited more microvilli than the surfaces of non-prefixed cells. These results favour the view that fixation prevents the formation of shear-resistant, lectin-mediated bonds between cells, not by restricting the lateral mobility of lectin receptors, but by impairing the apposition of rigid cell surfaces.