Etzler M E
Am J Clin Nutr. 1979 Jan;32(1):133-8. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/32.1.133.
The abilities of lectins to combine specifically with particular carbohydrate residues have made them valuable probes in the analysis of the surface components of intestinal epithelial cells. Fluorescence microscopy studies using FITC-labeled lectins have shown that the surfaces of these cells change as the cells move up the villi and that these changes are dependent upon the region of intestine in which the villi are located. The lectins have been used in radioassays developed to quantitate these cell surface components and have proven useful in monitoring the extraction and purification of these substances. Lectin affinity columns have been successfully used to isolate some of these components. Although lectins offer the advantage of specific recognition of relatively small defined carbohydrate units on complex molecules, they have the limitation of not being able to distinguish among different molecules bearing the same carbohydrate units. It is thus necessary to use the lectins in conjunction with other tools as one proceeds further in the analysis of the complex carbohydrates that constitute the cell surface.
凝集素与特定碳水化合物残基特异性结合的能力，使其成为分析肠上皮细胞表面成分的重要探针。使用异硫氰酸荧光素（FITC）标记的凝集素进行的荧光显微镜研究表明，随着细胞沿绒毛向上移动，这些细胞的表面会发生变化，并且这些变化取决于绒毛所在的肠道区域。凝集素已用于开发的放射性测定中，以定量这些细胞表面成分，并已证明在监测这些物质的提取和纯化方面很有用。凝集素亲和柱已成功用于分离其中一些成分。尽管凝集素具有特异性识别复杂分子上相对较小的特定碳水化合物单元的优势，但它们的局限性在于无法区分带有相同碳水化合物单元的不同分子。因此，在进一步分析构成细胞表面的复杂碳水化合物时，有必要将凝集素与其他工具结合使用。
