Farr A G, Anderson S K
J Immunol. 1985 May;134(5):2971-7.
By means of histochemical techniques, two lectins with nominal specificity for L-fucose, Tetragonolobus purpureas agglutinin (TPA), and Ulex europeus agglutinin (UEA) were found to specifically label the medullary area of murine thymuses. Although the binding of both lectins was restricted to the medullary area of the thymus, each staining pattern was unique. Cells binding UEA formed a reticular network throughout the medulla, whereas cells binding TPA occurred as single cells or small clumps of cells and resembled Hassall's corpuscles. The cells binding either lectin were identified as epithelial on the basis of ultrastructural features (tonofilaments, desmosomes, and keratohyalin bodies) and resembled Ia+ medullary epithelial cells described previously. An age-related decline in UEA binding was observed, whereas labeling with TPA remained unchanged. On the basis of the labeling patterns obtained with UEA and TPA and the reported specificities of these two lectins, it is suggested that the majority of the fucose detected is associated with type 1 carbohydrate chains.
通过组织化学技术发现，两种对L-岩藻糖具有名义特异性的凝集素，即紫花四棱豆凝集素（TPA）和欧洲荆豆凝集素（UEA），可特异性标记小鼠胸腺的髓质区域。尽管两种凝集素的结合都局限于胸腺的髓质区域，但每种染色模式都是独特的。结合UEA的细胞在整个髓质中形成网状网络，而结合TPA的细胞则以单个细胞或小细胞团的形式出现，类似于哈氏小体。根据超微结构特征（张力丝、桥粒和透明角质颗粒），结合任何一种凝集素的细胞都被鉴定为上皮细胞，并且类似于先前描述的Ia + 髓质上皮细胞。观察到与UEA结合的年龄相关性下降，而用TPA标记则保持不变。根据用UEA和TPA获得的标记模式以及这两种凝集素报道的特异性，表明检测到的大多数岩藻糖与1型碳水化合物链相关。
