Daniela Accili

The chick chorioallantoic membrane: a model of molecular, structural, and functional adaptation to transepithelial ion transport and barrier function during embryonic development.

The chick chorioallantoic membrane is a very simple extraembryonic membrane which serves multiple functions during embryo development; it is the site of exchange of respiratory gases, calcium transport from the eggshell, acid-base homeostasis in the embryo, and ion and H2O reabsorption from the allantoic fluid. All these functions are accomplished by its epithelia, the chorionic and the allantoic epithelium, by differentiation of a wide range of structural and molecular peculiarities which make them highly specialized, ion transporting epithelia. Studying the different aspects of such a developmental strategy emphasizes the functional potential of the epithelium and offers an excellent model system to gain insights into questions partly still unresolved.

Enzymatic degradation and quantitative lectin labeling for characterizing glycoconjugates which act as lectin acceptors in cat submandibular gland.

SummarySites of binding of eight different lectins (LTA, UEA I, WGA, SBA, DBA, CON A, PNA, RCA I) to cat submandibular gland were studied after exposure of tissue sections to sialidase, α-fucosidase, β-galactosidase, α-mannosidase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase. All lectins were affected by enzymatic predigestion and the labeling of individual lectins was highly dependent upon the glycosidase used to pretreat the sections. Glycoconjugates of demilunar, acinar and ductal cells exhibited a different composition of terminal sequences. For example, fucose proved to form the disaccharide fucose-galactose in demilunar and acinar cells, whereas it was present with the sequence fucose-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine in striated duct cells. Sialic acid participated both to the terminal sequence sialic acid-galactose and sialic acid-N-acetyl-d-galactosamine either in demilunar or in ductal cells. Lectin labeling combined with glycosidase digestion was also helpful in verifying the influence of neighbouring oligosaccharides on the affinity of lectins for the respective sugars.

Sialoglycoderivatives of bovine submandibular gland identified in situ by histochemical techniques combined with lectins

SummaryWe employed sialidase procedures followed by lectin stainings combined with oxidizing and deacetylating agents to visualize the distribution and sequentiate sialoglycoconjugates in the bovine submandibular gland. In particular we evidenced in acinar and ductal cells the dishomogeneous presence of sialic acids acetylated in the polyhydroxy side chain (C7, C8, C9), whereas O-acetyl substituents at position C1 and/or C4 were not found. Sialoglycoderivatives were also differentiated by the occurrence of penultimate sugars; indeed the dimers sialic acid-(α2→3,6)-β-galactose and sialic acid-(α2→6)-α-N-acetylgalactosamine were identified. Using such technique we supported further the possibility to develop methods for the identification of the positions of Oacetyl groups and the reconstruction of terminal disaccharides within surface and cytoplasm glycoconjugates.

DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES OF SUGAR OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION IN THE RAT SUBMANDIBULAR AND SUBLINGUAL GLANDS

 The developmental expression of salivary glycoconjugates was investigated in the rat submandibular and sublingual glands by conventional and lectin histochemistry. By the time of the first differentiation of secretory structures, in spite of similar morphological features, a different histochemical reactivity was detected, accounting for a relevant content of neutral glycoconjugates in the submandibular gland and the occurrence of both neutral and acidic glycoconjugates in the sublingual one. The use of lectins allowed the main changes of secretory components to be noted around gestational day 18. DBA and WGA lectins seemed to act as pre- and post-natal development markers while Con A lectin was indicative of post-natal differentiation. Taken together, data from lectin histochemistry indicated the transitional occurrence of glycoconjugates, probably involved in temporally restricted functions, as well as the co-existence of different secretory components that might also reflect maturational changes of single products.

Glycoconjugate composition of mammalian parotid glands elucidated in situ by lectins and glycosidases.

Sugar specific lectins (PNA, RCA I, LPA, SBA, DBA, GSA IB4, GSA II, WGA, LTA, UEA I, Con A, LCA) with and without prior selective glycosidase digestion (sialidase, alpha-fucosidase, alpha-mannosidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, alpha- and beta-galactosidase, beta-glucosidase) were used in order to investigate the distribution of native accessible carbohydrates and obtain information dealing with the composition of terminal disaccharides within glycoconjugates present in acinar compartments and ductal segments of mammalian (mouse, rat, hare, and rabbit) parotid glands. Glycoconjugates containing variable amounts of mannose, glucose, N-acetylgalactosamine and N-acetylglucosamine were present in the parotid glands of all species. However, these carbohydrate chains exhibited a different composition of terminal sequences within each type of gland. For example, sialylated components having the terminal dimers sialic acid-galactose and sialic acid-N-acetylgalactosamine were found in all acinar cells, whereas fucoglycoconjugates with terminal disaccharide fucose-galactose were localized in the rat striated ducts and hare acinar cells. The terminal sequence alpha-galactose-beta-galactose was demonstrated in the mouse acinar cells. Finally, glycoconjugates characterized by the terminal dimer beta-galactose-N-acetylgalactosamine were demonstrated in the mouse acinar and ductal cells and the rat ductal ones. Thus, present findings outlined and further confirmed the possibility to elucidate the oligosaccharide structure in situ using lectin histochemistry combined with enzymatic degradation.

Influence of fixation on the lectin binding sites in the rabbit salivary glands.

In order to verify the influence of fixative on the formation of any nonspecific lectin bindings, the authors have carried out an investigation on rabbit salivary glands. The results obtained applying peanut, soybean, wheat germ, and winged pea lectins to unfixed samples of rabbit submandibular and sublingual glands agreed almost completely with the results of our previous research effected on the same samples fixed with aldehydes. The most important differences between the fixed samples and the unfixed ones consisted in the lack of reactivity of the material inside the secretion lumina to all the lectins used, and in the lack of peanut binding to the submandibular gland. No significant differences in intensity and location were found for soybean, wheat germ, and winged pea lectins.

Identification of muramyl derivatives in Mollusca Gastropoda tissue

SummaryPrevious findings have demonstrated the presence of muramic acid and the lack of sialic acid in gastropod glycoconjugates from different tissues. The present study investigated the composition of muramyl derivatives in Mollusca Gastropoda tissue from the foot, mantle and periesophageal ganglia, using HRP-labeled lectins (LTA, UEA I, GSA IB4, GSA II, DBA, SBA, RCA II, WGA, PNA, ConA) and glycosidase digestion (neuraminidase, lysozyme, α-l-fucosidase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase). Muramyl derivatives from the tissue examined showed some differences related to the composition of the terminal disaccharides. Indeed, foot and mantle mucocytes exhibited muramic acid in a terminal position, linked to (subterminal) N-acetylgalactosamine, whereas in neuron cells muramic acid was present in an internal position and linked to N-acetylglucosamine. Diversities also occurred between foot and mantle mucocytes with respect to the receptor sugar for penultimate N-acetylgalactosamine.

Fine localization of sulphated and non-sulphated glycoconjugates in the rabbit oviduct during the estrous cycle.

An ultrastructural histochemical investigation was carried out to ascertain the localization of the glucidie components and to verify the histochemical modifications during the physiological estrogenic cycle of rabbit oviduct. Stainings were performed with high iron diamine (HID), low iron diamine (LID), dialized iron (DI), tannic acid-uranyl acetate (TA-U), and periodate-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate (PA-TCH-SP) methods. The findings indicated that the secretory activity is more intense in the isthmus than in the ampulla. Neutral glycoconjugates are localized both in the secreting elements of the ampulla and in those of the isthmus, while carboxylated and sulphated glycosaminoglycans are localized only in the secretory granules of the secreting elements of the isthmus.

Visualization of carbohydrate chains in rabbit salivary glands by means of enzymatic degradation and plant lectins

We investigated the structure of glycoconjugates contained within the secretory end-pieces and ductal segments in the rabbit submandibular and sublingual glands. Glycosidic sequences were examined by means of enzymatic degradation with specific glycosidases (sialidase, alpha-fucosidase, beta-galactosidase, alpha-mannosidase) followed by lectin binding with PNL-HRP, WPL-HRP, WGL-HRP, SBL-HRP, Con A-HRP. It was found that this procedure represents a valid tool for studying carbohydrates, in so far as their characterization and localization were based only on colour reactions. In particular, this research showed that sialic acid was present in the terminal dimers sialic acid-beta-galactose and sialic acid-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine within the submandibular gland, whereas in the sublingual gland it was only present as the sequence sialic acid-beta-galactose. Conversely, fucose had as the subterminal sugar N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in both glands. Also, elucidations about structural sequences concerning other non-terminal sugars were obtained.

Sialoglycoconjugate Expression in Acinar Cells of Rat Developing Submandibular Gland

Direct and indirect staining procedures were developed to characterize sialoglycoconjugates in developing rat submandibular gland. Lectin histochemistry, with and without prior sialidase digestion, combined with differential oxidation and deacetylation procedures was performed in situ. This allowed the expression of sialic acids to be followed during acinar cell development. It was found that terminal periodate-labile sialic acids linked to β-galactose occurred early. In contrast, the terminal disaccharide sialic acid-N-acetylgalactosamine was only detectable at the adult stage and so was considered to be a good marker of the full maturity of this gland. The developing acinar cells were mainly characterized by C4-acetylated sialic acids belonging to short side-chains. Dimorphic expression of sialoglycoconjugate components was evident by postnatalbreak day 44.