A LECTIN AND SYNAPTOPHYSIN STUDY OF DEVELOPING BRAIN

Lectins which bind to carbohydrate residues of glycoconjugates can be used as histochemical markers of these substances, A battery of lectin s including peanut agglutinin, ricinus communis, wheat germ agglutinin , soybean agglutinin, concanavalin ensiformis, Ulex europaeus, and Dol ichos biflorus as well as synaptophysin was used on paraffin-embedded human fetal and infant brains of varying gestation (20 weeks to term) to determine whether there were changes in the pattern of glycoconjuga te staining, The findings indicate that lectin binding of several of t hese markers changes with gestation as does synaptophysin.