Abstract
Custom-made chemical glycosylation of a carrier yields a neoglycoconjugate. Such a synthetic probe exposes a carbohydrate part that can display ligand properties for appropriate sugar receptors like lectins on cells or in tissue sections, unless their binding sites are harmed by the processing of the specimen or blocked by high-affinity endogenous ligands. The use of labelled neoglycoconjugates in histology and pathology, termed reverse lectin histochemistry, is complementary to the application of the isolated and labelled tissue lectin(s). Concomitant experiments with both classes of marker allow us to gain histochemical information on the capacity for distinct glycobiological interactions in situ. The results have a potential relevance to enhance our understanding of the participation of this type of molecular interplay in physiologically important recognitive processes.
