Electron microscopic visualization by the unlabelled lectin/antiferritin-antibody/ferritin method of lectin receptors on cell surfaces.

For electron microscopic demonstration of carbohydrate moieties on cell surfaces of HeLa-cells the lectins from Viscum albumin, Canavalia ensiformis and Dolichos biflorus have been used. The staining experiments were performed by reaction of the cell surface receptor localized lectin with purified antiferritin-antibody followed by ferritin. The three-step reaction cell surface receptors leads to lectin leads to antiferritin antibody leads to ferritin is proposed as general method for electron microscopic localization of lectin receptors without covalent coupling.