Analysis of the distribution of binding sites for the plant lectin Bandeiraea simplicifolia I-isolectin B4 on primary sensory neurones in seven mammalian species.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the binding patterns of the plant lectin Bandeiraea simplicifolia I-isolectin B(4) (BSI-B(4)) to sensory neurones in seven mammalian species. The dorsal root ganglia and spinal cords of three rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, flying foxes, cats, and marmoset monkeys were screened for BSI-B(4) using lectin histochemistry. BSI-B(4) binding was associated with the soma of predominantly small-diameter primary sensory neurones in the dorsal root ganglia and their axon terminals within laminae I and II of the superficial dorsal horn in all seven species. The similarities of lectin binding patterns in each of these species suggest that the glycoconjugate to which BSI-B(4) binds has a ubiquitous distribution in mammals, and supports the proposal that this lectin may preferentially bind to a subpopulation of sensory neurones with a similar functional role in each of these species.