Carbohydrates in the guinea pig stria vascularis demonstrated with lectin-gold techniques.
Soybean agglutinin (SBA), Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA), Ricinus communis agglutinin-II (RCA-II), Limax flavus agglutinin (LFA) and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) were employed to determine the localization of specific carbohydrates on thin sections of lowicryl K4M embedded guinea pig striae vasculares using the lectin-gold and glycoprotein-gold techniques. SBA, HPA and RCA-II gold labeling was observed in many of the cytoplasmic vesicles, endosomes and apical tubules located in the supranuclear region as well as on the microvilli and micropinocytotic invaginations of the luminal plasma membrane of the marginal cells. LFA labeling was found on the basal plasma membrane of the marginal cells as well as in the basement membrane of the perivascular spaces. WGA binding sites were detected along the plasma membrane of all types of cells constituting the stria vascularis. Our present results revealed that the membranes of internalization and many of the cytoplasmic vesicles, endosomes and apical tubules in the supranuclear region of the marginal cells are associated together and it is suggested that these structures may be related to the regulation of endolymph.
Nishiyama
S
S
Department of Otolaryngology, Kochi Medical School, Japan.
Garcia del Saz
E
E
Seguchi
H
H
D000818:Animals; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry; D004710:Endolymph / Q000378:metabolism; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen / Q000032:analysis; D013316:Stria Vascularis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology
D002241:Carbohydrates; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen