LECTIN HISTOCHEMISTRY OF CELL-SURFACE GLYCOCONJUGATES IN THE PRIMARY OLFACTORY PROJECTIONS OF THE NEWT

The binding of 14 lectins were performed on paraffin-embedded sections of the olfactory bulb of Triturus to identify specific glycoconjugate s on the cell surface of primary olfactory projections. The histochemi cal lectin staining patterns indicate that the membrane of olfactory n eurons terminating in the main olfactory bulb contained prevalently ol igosaccharides with alpha-acetyl-D-galactosamine as terminal residues. In the accessory olfactory bulb, instead, the primary olfactory proje ctions possess a high density of alpha-D-galactose as sugar residues. The selective lectin binding on the surface of primary olfactory axons suggests that specific cell surface glycoproteins may have a role in the axonal growth due to the continual cycle of proliferation and deat h of olfactory receptors.