LECTIN-BINDING SITES IN BASAL CELL EPITHELIOMAS AND CARCINOMAS

抄録

Histochemical investigation of lectin-binding sites was carried out on basal cell epithelioma (BCE) and carcinoma (BCC) cells obtained from human skin lesions. The HRP-conjugated lectin technique was employed (Con A, for detecting glucose and mannose; RCA-1, for Gal; PNA and SBA, for Gal and GaiNAc; DBA, for GalNAc; UEA-1, for fucose; and WGA, for GlcNAc and NANA). Irrespective of histologic variation in BCE and BCC, the tumor cells exhibited rather weak binding to lectin conjugates, and the tumor cells adjacent to keratinizing epithelia in keratotic BCE displayed stronger lectin staining as compared to those in non-keratinized tumors. Some of the desquamated tumor cells found in cystic spaces of cystic BCE had the strongest reaction for the PNA conjugate. The cytochemical distribution of lectin conjugates in BCE and BCC was usually confined to intercellular materials and surface of the tumor cells, but the lectin staining was not strong. No major difference was found between tumor cells of BCE and BCC with respect to lectin-binding.