Sialic acids in the chicken anterior lingual glands detected by lectins combined with enzymatic degradation and oxidizing agents.

The chicken anterior lingual glands contain a large amount of sialoglycoconjugates. This study is aimed at discriminating between them, on the basis of the degree of acetylation and the acceptor sugars, by means of lectins combined with neuraminidase digestion and treatment with oxidizing and deacetylating agents. In the anteromedial part of lingual glands, only low concentrations of periodate-labile sialic acid having alpha 2-3,6-galactose and alpha 2-6-N-acetylgalactosamine acceptor sugars were present. Mostly, C7 and/or C8 acetylated sialic acids occurred, while C9 acetylated sialic acid linked alpha 2-3-galactose and alpha 2-6-N-acetylgalactosamine were restricted to some cells. In the anterolateral part, sialic acid linked alpha 2-6-N-acetylgalactosamine was not acetylated, while sialoderivatives alpha 2-3 linked to galactose were mainly C9 acetylated.