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Title: LECTIN HISTOCHEMISTRY OF THE TURKEY AIR SAC MEMBRANE

Author
item Kunkle, Robert
item Ackermann, Mark
item Rimler, Richard - Rick

Submitted to: Research Workers in Animal Diseases Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/6/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The affinity of lectins to cellular structures is useful in discriminating cell populations of the respiratory tract. In this study, paraffin- embedded sections of posterior thoracic air sac membrane obtained from eight 12-week-old Small Beltsville White turkeys were stained histo- chemically with a battery of 15 lectins. Specificity of lectin-binding was tested by pretreatment of lectin with specific inhibitory sugar or tissue with sodium periodate. Lectins with affinity to N-acetyl- galactosamine/galactose labeled membrane epithelial surfaces and endothelium. The distribution of tissue staining varied with each lectin. Squamous, cuboidal, and columnar epithelium, endothelium, and fibrous interstitial tissue were stained using Peanut agglutinin. Sophora japonicum agglutinin was localized to the apical cytoplasm and plasma membrane of nonciliated cuboidal cells bordering ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium. Lectin-binding affinity by cell type was similar to that previously reported for the healthy turkey trachea and lung.