title: Immunogold study on lectin binding in the porcine zona pellucida and granulosa cells.
abstract: An ultrastructural localization of lectin receptors on the zona pellucida (ZP) of porcine antral oocytes and on the granulosa cells was performed using a panel of horseradish peroxidase-labelled lectins in conjunction with antiperoxidase antibody and protein A-gold. In some cases, lectin incubation was preceded by sialidase digestion. WGA-, Con-A-, UEA-I-, RCA-I-, PNA- and SBA-reactive sites were distributed differently in the porcine ZP. Sialidase digestion increased the positivity obtained with RCA-I and it was necessary to promote PNA and SBA reactivity. These results indicated that the ZP contained N-acetylglucosamine, a-mannose, a-fucose, b-Gal-(1-4)GlcNAc, b-Gal- (1-3)GalNAc, b-GalNAc and sialic acid residues. We also observed the presence of vesicles in both the ooplasm and granulosa cells, showing a similar lectin binding pattern to that of the ZP, thus suggesting that the oocyte and granulosa cells are the site of synthesis of ZP glucidic determinants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biopathological Veterinary Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Perugia, via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy. anatvet@unipg.it
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Parillo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dall'Aglio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verini Supplizi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ceccarelli
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gargiulo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D022162:Cytoplasmic Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006107:Granulosa Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D037102:Lectins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D037102:Lectins