Glycosylations in demilunar and central acinar cells of the submandibular salivary gland of ferret investigated by lectin histochemistry.

'Resting' submandibular salivary glands obtained post-mortem from mature ferrets of both sexes were examined here. The binding patterns of labelled lectins applied to paraffin sections of tissue slivers fixed in an aldehyde-HgCl2 mixture and the effects of pretreatment procedures on the results were assessed lightmicroscopically. Lectins with affinity for terminal GalNAc residues (DBA, SBA) bound preferentially to demilunar acinar cells which were also strongly reactive with Fuc-directed UEA I. In contrast, lectins with affinity for neuraminic acid (SNA, WGA) bound to central acinar cells where consistent binding of DBA and SNA occurred only after neuraminidase digestion, and variation in the binding of UEA I was seen. The reactivities corresponded with the distribution of secretory granules, but staining in Golgi-like areas occurred in central acinar cells with PNA lectin. The results suggest that glycosylations are more advanced in central than demilunar acinar cells of the ferret submandibular gland. Possibly demilunar and central acinar cells reflect phenotypic changes of a single secretory cell, the 'central' acinar phenotype being influenced by incorporation of neuraminic acid in glycoprotein side chains and by increased Golgi activity.