Lectin-binding patterns in the olfactory system of the lizard, Physignathus lesueurii.

Lectin binding histochemistry was performed on the olfactory system of Physignathus lesueurii to investigate the distribution and density of defined carbohydrate terminals on the cell-surface glycoproteins of the olfactory and vomeronasal receptor cells and their terminals in the olfactory bulbs. The lectin staining patterns indicate that the vomeronasal and olfactory receptor cells are characterized by glycoconjugates containing alpha-D-galactose and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine terminal residues. The presence of specific glycoproteins, whose terminal sugars are detected by lectin binding, might be related to the chemoreception and transduction of the odorous message into a nervous signal or to the histogenesis and development of the olfactory system. The olfactory and vomeronasal receptor cells are vertebrate neurons that undergo a continual cycle of proliferation not only during development but also in mature animals.