LOCALIZED AGGLUTININ STAINING IN MUSCLE CAPILLARIES FROM NORMAL AND VERY OLD ATROPHIC HUMAN MUSCLE USING WINGED BEAN (PSOPHOCARPUS-TETRAGONOLOBUS) LECTIN

The winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) agglutinin (total lectin ) and its basic (WBA I) and acidic isoform (WBA II) were used to analy ze capillaries in sections from human muscle. The microvessels were cl early labeled after incubation with the lectins in both normal muscle and in old muscles with age-related type II atrophy or muscle fiber gr ouping. Muscle fibers, nerves, and connective tissue remained unstaine d. The total lectin detected muscle capillaries from all blood group A BO individuals. The isoform WBA I reacted only with blood vessels in b lood group A and B individuals, while the blood vessels in blood group 0 individuals were demonstrated with WBA II. WBA I staining was inhib ited by p-nitrophenyl alpha-galactopyranoside and N-acetylgalactosamin e, whereas 2'-fucosyllactose and preincubation with an antibody agains t type-1 chain H abolished capillary staining with WBA II. The study d emonstrates the usefulness of WBA as a marker of capillaries in human muscle.