Quantitative differences in neoglycoprotein binding for vascular endothelial cells from porcine brain, ovary, and...

Carrier-immobilized carbohydrates are valuable tools for assessing the glycoligand-binding capacity of cell surfaces. A panel of 10 types of fluorescent neoglycoproteins has been synthesized to determine the extent of their specific binding to endothelial cells in vitro that have been obtained from porcine brain, ovary, and testis. Different sugar moieties revealed a nonuniform capacity to bind to the endothelial cells as determined by flow cytometric analysis, the histogenetic origin of the preparations being an important factor. Binding of mannose, xylose, and glucuronic acid was especially pronounced, but the extent of cell-associated fluorescence was significantly different dependent on the source of the endothelial cells. These results clearly reveal that endothelial cells in vitro display the capacity to specifically recognize defined carbohydrate moieties. Moreover, endothelial cells of different tissue origin can exhibit variability in this property, potentially endowing this cell type with site-dependent molecular properties.