Lectins in histochemistry. A survey.

The most pertinent works using lectin histochemistry at both light and electron microscopy were reviewed. The results and their eventual interpretation are summarized. The importance of lectins as a histochemical tool is mainly based upon the two following features: they possess a narrow specificity for various carbohydrate residues and they can be linked to different labels (fluorochrome, peroxidase, ferritin, colloidal gold) or be included in immunocytochemical techniques in order to be visualized at conventional, u.v. and electron microscopes. These have the advantage to preserve the cellular and tissular integrity. Various tissues and organs were investigated first as a descriptive manner and then under cell differentiation and ontogenetic points of view. Tissues from laboratory rodents and human were especially studied. Few works regarding other vertebrates have been published. However comparative studies could probably cast some lights regarding functions and phylogenetic evaluation. Finally, lectin histochemistry in pathology seems of great promise as indicated by the growing number of publications.