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Ultrastructural localization of α-galactose-containing glycoconjugates in the rat vomeronasal organ

  • Published:
Journal of Neurocytology

Abstract

Binding sites of Griffonia simplicifolia I-B4 isolectin (GS-I-B4), which recognizes terminal α-galactose residues of glycoconjugates, were examined in the juxtaluminal region of the rat vomeronasal sensory epithelium and its associated glands of the vomeronasal organ, using a lectin cytochemical technique. Lowicryl K4M-embedded ultra-thin sections, which were treated successively with biotinylated GS-I-B4 and streptavidin-conjugated 10 nm colloidal gold particles, were observed under a transmission electron microscope. Colloidal gold particles, which reflect the presence of terminal α-galactose-containing glycoconjugates, were present in vomeronasal receptor neurons in the sensory epithelium and secretory granules of acinar cells of associated glands of the epithelium. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that the density of colloidal gold particles associated with sensory cell microvilli that projected from dendritic endings of vomeronasal neurons was considerably higher than that of microvilli that projected from neighboring sustentacular cells. The same was true for the apical cytoplasms of these cells just below the microvilli. These results suggest that of the sensory microvilli and dendritic endings contained a much larger amount of the α-galactose-containing glycoconjugates, compared with those in sustentacular microvilli. Further, biochemical analyses demonstrated several vomeronasal organ-specific glycoproteins with terminal α-galactose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, School of Health Sciences, Kyorin University, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-8508, Japan

    Shigeru Takami, Tomomi Iwai, Rumi Hasegawa & Fumiaki Nishiyama

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  1. Shigeru Takami
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  2. Tomomi Iwai
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  3. Rumi Hasegawa
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  4. Fumiaki Nishiyama
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Correspondence to Shigeru Takami.

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Takami, S., Iwai, T., Hasegawa, R. et al. Ultrastructural localization of α-galactose-containing glycoconjugates in the rat vomeronasal organ. J Neurocytol 34, 123–133 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11068-005-5052-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11068-005-5052-x

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