Ferritin-Conjugated Plant Agglutinins as Specific Saccharide Stains for Electron Microscopy: Application to Saccharides Bound to Cell Membranes
Year: 1971
Type: article
Abstract: An electron microscopic stain for specific saccharides was prepared by the conjugation of ferritin to concanavalin A, a plant agglutinin that specifically binds to oligosaccharides containing terminal d-glucose, d-mannose, or sterically related sugar residues. A technique was developed to allow topological visualization of erythrocyte and other membranes by means of transmission electron microscopy, and the distribution of the binding sites for ferritin-concanavalin A on such membrane preparations was determined. The conjugate was found to bind specifically to the outer, but not the inner, surface of erythrocyte membranes. The number of conjugate molecules bound per unit area of the membrane was larger for rabbit than for human erythrocytes.
Authors: Garth L. Nicolson, S. J. Singer
Institution: University of California San Diego
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2035219404