Surface differentiation of hemopoietic cells demonstrated ultrastructurally with cationized ferritin

The ultrastructural cationized ferritin (CF) technique was employed as a probe of the surface binding characteristics of the various cell types present in normal human bone marrow. The number of CF particles per micron length of cell surface were counted and data subjected to statistical analysis. All cells of the bone marrow exhibited CF reactivity. The extent of labeling was cell specific and could be related to the stage of maturation of the cells in a given lineage. In the neutrophilic series, myeloblasts showed moderate labeling while promyelocytes and myelocytes revealed only minimal binding; CF binding increased sequentially in metamyelocytes, band and segmented neutrophils. Eosinophils and eosinophilic myelocytes showed similar membrane differnetiation patterns while basophils exhibited stronger CF labeling that other granulocytic cells. Lymphocytes were strongly reactive while monocytes and their precursors were moderately labeled with CF. Surface reactivity of developing nucleated erythrocytic cells was similar to that of the lymphocytes. Surface labeling from the proerythroblasts to early normoblasts stage was identical, CF binding increased in the late normoblasts stage and then decreased in the reticulocyte and mature erythrocyte stages. The extent of surface CF reactivity of the marrow cells was markedly different from that obtained with Thorotrast and colloidal iron. Thorotrast and colloidal iron stained the surface of all marrow cell intensely but failed to yield distinctive surface labeling patterns for the differing cell population in bone marrow.     

Ferrocyanide enhancement of concanavalin A-ferritin and cationized ferritin staining blood cell surface glycoconjugates

Synopsis Ferrocyanide was used to enhance cationized ferritin and concanavalin A-ferritin (Con A-ferritin) staining of surface glycoconjugates of peripheral blood and bone marrow cells from rabbits and humans. The glutaraldehyde-fixed cells were stained with Con A-ferritin or cationized ferritin and then exposed to a ferrocyanide solution. The resulting cuboidal and irregular stain deposits averaged 50 nm in diameter when viewed with the transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Rabbit blood cells demonstrated more Con A binding sites than human blood cells and the decrease in binding sites observed with maturation of human granulocytic and erythrocytic cells was not evident in rabbit cells. Differences in binding of cationized ferritin to rabbit and human cell surfaces were less prominent than that observed for Con A. These results extend previous studies of blood cell surface glycoconjugates and demonstrate that ferrocyanide enhancement significantly facilitates SEM evaluation of Con A-ferritin and cationized ferritin bound to cell surfaces.     

Alterations in the surface glycoproteins of chicken erythrocytes following transformation with erythroblastosis strain R virus

Summary Erythroblasts from marrows of chicks infected with RNA-virus (strain Rerythroblastosis virus) were found to possess a small but consistent increase in the number of concanavalin A binding sites per cell compared to erythroblasts derived from the marrows of phenylhydrazine-treated birds. Both types of erythroblast possessed more surface glycoproteins per cell accessible to concanavalin A (Con A) than marrow and peripheral blood erythrocytes. Employment of concanavalin A conjugated to ferritin showed marked differences in the spatial arrangement of the Con A receptors between phenylhydrazine and virus-induced erythroblasts but little difference was observed in the surface density of the Con A sites between erythrocytes and erythroblasts, a result which agrees with the amount of bound labeled Con A when this data is expressed in terms of the cell surface.The amount of labeled Con A bound to erythrocytes derived from the marrow was greater than that derived from the peripheral circulation, a result which is substantiated by the ferritin Con A studies which show an increase in the density of Con A sites on the marrow blood cells. Trypsinization increases the number of sites and the agglutininability of the marrow cells.The increase in the susceptibility of the cells to agglutinate with concanavalin A paralleled the observed increase in the number of binding sites per cell.     

Suppression of the polyclonal B-cell responses by concanavalin A-treated bone marrow B cells in vitro

A suppressor cell that inhibits the development of a polyclonal antibody response of splenic B cells to lipopolysaccharide is generated in the bone marrow cell culture in response to a mitotic dose (10 micrograms/ml) of concanavalin A (Con A). The Con A-responding suppressor cell is radioresistant and found in a bone marrow B (BM-B) cell population of normal as well as athymic mice. The suppressor activity of Con A-treated BM-B cells was consistently higher (P less than 0.01-0.0001) than those of untreated BM-B and fresh BM cells. The BM-B cell population recovered from short-term (3-day) cultures with Con A contained about 65% surface immunoglobulin (Ig)-positive cells, about 6% T cells, and less than 0.5% plastic-adherent cells, the latter two of which did not contribute to the suppressive activity. Thus, cytolytic treatment with various anti-T-cell antibodies could not eliminate the suppressive activity of the Con A-treated BM-B cells, and the Con A-treated macrophage population provided no significant suppression. The Con A-treated BM-B cells adherent to anti-Ig or anti-Con A dishes exhibited highly enriched suppressive activity. It was therefore concluded that an immature B-cell population of bone marrow could develop in response to stimulation with Con A into surface Ig-positive suppressor cells, contributing to the regulation of nonspecific B-cell responses.     

Differences in the redistribution of concanavalin A and wheat germ agglutinin binding sites on mouse neuroblastoma cells

Concanavalin A (Con A), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), and Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA) bound with either ¹²⁵I, fluorescent dyes, or fluorescent polymeric microspheres were used to quantitate and visualize the distribution of lectin binding sites on mouse neuroblastoma cells. As viewed by fluorescent light and scanning electron microscopy, over 10⁷ binding sites for Con A, WGA, and RCA appeared to be distributed randomly over the surface of differentiated and undifferentiated cells. An energy-dependent redistribution of labeled sites into a central spot occurred when the cells were labeled with a saturating dose of fluorescent lectin and maintained at 37°C for 60 min. Reversible labeling using appropriate saccharide inhibitors indicated that the labeled sites had undergone endocytosis by the cell. A difference in the mode of redistribution of WGA or RCA and Con A binding sites was observed in double labeling experiments. When less than 10% of the WGA or RCA lectin binding sites were labeled, only these labeled sites appeared to be removed from the cell surface. In contrast, when less than 10% of the Con A sites were labeled, both labeled and unlabeled Con A binding sites were removed from the cell surface. Cytochalasin B uncoupled the coordinate redistribution of labeled and unlabeled Con A sites, suggesting the involvement of microfilaments. Finally, double labeling experiments employing fluorescein-tagged Con A and rhodamine-tagged WGA indicate that most Con A and WGA binding sites reside on different membrane components and redistribute independenty of each other.     

Localization of pyroantimonate-precipitable cation and surface coat anionic binding sites in developing erythrocytic cells and macrophages in normal human bone marrow

Summary The surfaces of developing erythrocytic cells and macrophages have been examined in normal human bone marrow by means of the pyroantimonate-osmium, ruthenium red and Thorotrast techniques for inorganic cations, surface glycoprotein-phospholipid complexes and surface anionic binding sites, respectively. No differences in the degree of surface coat reactivity were noted in the erythrocytic cells at different stages of maturation while pyroantimonate binding to the plasmalemma was not evident developmentally until the final stages of erythrocytic development. Rhopheocytotic invaginations proved to be chemically distinct from the remainder of the cell surface since they did not bind Thorotrast or pyroantimonate and gave more staining with ruthenium red. Pyroantimonate does not bind to the surface of macrophages and the binding of Thorotrast by these cells is less. Macrophage-erythrocytic cell contact zones did not stain with Thorotrast but stained with ruthenium red. The significance of these observations is discussed.Supported by Grant No. AM-HE-12084-14 from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. — Appreciation is expressed to Anita Topson and Marjorie Griffith for their technical assistance and to Dr. Robert Hilberg for performing the bone marrow aspirations.     

Binding of iodinated multipotential colony-stimulating factor (interleukin-3) to murine bone marrow cells

Multipotential colony-stimulating factor (Multi-CSF or interleukin-3) was radioiodinated to high specific radioactivity (1-4 X 10(5) cpm/ng) with no detectable loss of biological activity and its binding to murine bone marrow cells and factor-dependent cell lines studied. Both the native glycosylated molecule purified from a cloned T-cell line (LB-3) and the purified non-glycosylated recombinant molecule produced by E. coli could be radioiodinated. Comparative binding studies with these derivatives demonstrated equal binding affinities and equal numbers of binding sites on various cell types indicating that carbohydrate moieties are not involved in the binding interactions. Binding of 125I-Multi-CSF to several factor-dependent continuous hemopoietic cell lines showed the presence of specific receptors on all cell lines, the receptor number per cell varying from 700 to 13,000 and the apparent dissociation constant from 400 pM to 1 nM. Specific binding of 125I-Multi-CSF was also observed to normal murine hemopoietic cells and the binding to murine bone marrow cells was studied in detail. Bone marrow cells showed 117-130 receptors per cell on average and an apparent dissociation constant of 126-233 pM. However, quantitative autoradiographic analysis indicated that receptors for 125I-Multi-CSF were not distributed randomly on bone marrow cells--nucleated erythroid and lymphoid cells were not labeled while essentially all neutrophilic granulocyte, eosinophilic granulocyte and monocytic cells were labeled. Moreover, in each of the labeled cell lineages grain counts (reflecting receptor number) decreased with increasing maturation and a small subpopulation of marrow cells (0.4-1.5% and including blast cells, monocytes, promyelocytes, and myelocytes) exhibited very high grain counts. The existence of such a subset of marrow cells raises the possibility of functional heterogeneity among marrow cells in their response to Multi-CSF.     

IFN-gamma acts on T cells to induce NK cell mobilization and accumulation in target organs

The mechanism(s) that regulates NK cell mobilization and the significance of this process to NK cell activity are unknown. After Con A-induced hepatitis, NK cells are mobilized from the spleen and bone marrow into the periphery in an IFN-gamma-dependent fashion. Intraperitoneal administration of IFN-gamma stimulates the mobilization of NK cells into the circulation, but not their cell death or proliferation. Increased number of circulating NK cells was coupled with their accumulation in the peritoneum, liver, and tumor-bearing lung tissue. Furthermore, increased number of NK cells in the lung reduced metastasis of Lewis lung carcinoma cells (3LL cell line) resulting in significantly extended NK-dependent survival. Mobilization of NK cells was specific and required the presence of T cells. Moreover, mobilization and migration of spleen NK cells in response to IFN-gamma treatment is dependent on the chemokine receptor CXCR3. Mechanistic insights regarding the role of IFN-gamma in the regulation of NK cell mobilization and their accumulation at sites of tumor metastasis may lead to the development of novel immunotherapy for cancer.     

Proliferative response of bone marrow cells to concanavalin A does not require Ia antigen-positive cells

The in vitro proliferative response of murine bone marrow cells to concanavalin A (Con A) and the effect of anti-Ia serum on the response were studied. The incorporation of [3H]thymidine into cells prepared from the bone marrow of C3H/He, ATL, ATH, and C57BL/6 mice increased in the presence of certain doses of Con A. The bone marrow cells of athymic nude mice were also capable of responding to Con A, but cells prepared from the spleens of such mice were not. The addition of anti-Ia serum to the cultures of bone marrow cells did not affect the responses of these cells to Con A, though their proliferative response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide was greatly reduced in the presence of the serum. Moreover, pretreatment of the bone marrow cells with anti-Ia serum or anti-Thy. 1.2 serum and rabbit complement did not abolish the ability of these cells to respond to Con A. These results indicate that there are some Ia negative and Thy. 1.2 negative cell populations in the marrow capable of responding to Con A. Furthermore, the effect of anti-Ia serum on the Con A-induced proliferative response of the spleen cells which had been obtained from gamma-irradiated and syngeneic bone marrow cell-reconstituted mice was examined. The ability of these cells to respond to Con A increased gradually week by week after the reconstitution. The suppressive effect of anti-Ia serum on the response of these cells gradually became much more pronounced after the reconstitution.     

Quantitative agglutination of specific populations of sea urchin embryo cells with concanavalin A

It has been demonstrated that specific changes in carbohydrate-containing cell surface lectin receptor sites occur with differentiation and maturation of sea urchin embryo cells. In this study, evidence is presented, using a quantitative electronic particle counter assay to measure agglutination, which indicates that concanavalin A (Con A) mediated agglutination of dissociated 32/64 cell sea urchin embryos differs dramatically with respect to specific cell populations. The migratory cell type, the micromere, is significantly more agglutinable with Con A than the other cell types and colchicine treatment markedly increases sea urchin embryo cell agglutinability. The results indicate that like many malignant cells which display extensive migratory behavior, specific migratory populations of embryonic cells are agglutinable with Con A. The results are discussed with respect to the possible nature of lectin receptor sites on specific populations of embryonic cells and the possible role of colchicine-sensitive structures in controlling the display patterns of these sites.     

Cytochemical study of concanavalin A binding sites and their mobility in normal, cystic fibrosis, and SV40 transformed human fibroblasts in vitro

Concanavalin A (Con A) binding sites and their mobility were studied by peroxidase (Po) and ferritin labeling techniques in normal and SV40 transformed human fibroblasts. Binding sites were visualized either as osmium black of 3'3-diaminobenzidine (DAB) reactions or as ferritin particles. DAB reaction products were localized at the external surface of the plasma membrane and in some multivesicular bodies of fixed cells. The labeling was continuous in normal and SV40 transformed human fibroblasts. When living cells were treated with Con A-Po at 4 degrees C and incubated at 37 degrees C, both normal and transformed cells showed remarkable changes. The foci of membrane indentations (caps or patches) are formed on the cell surface. Many labeled internalized vacuoles and vesicles appeared within the cytoplasm and in close proximity to the Golgi region of all cell types. The cellular changes occurred more quickly in transformed cells than in normal cells. It is concluded that normal cells do cap under certain conditions and that the plasma membranes of transformed cells are more fluid than those of normal cells.     

Fluorophore-conjugated lectin labeling of the cell surface of isolated male and female gametes,central cells and synergids before and after fertilization in maize

Three fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated lectins, Canavalia ensiformis agglutinin (Con A), Triticum vulgaris agglutinin (WGA) and Phaseolus vulgaris erythroagglutinin (PHA-E), were used as probes to localize sugar moieties of glycoconjugates on the cell surface of isolated maize sperm, egg, central, antipodal cells, synergids, and in vitro- and in vivo-fertilized zygotes. Fluorescence signals on the surface of the cells were due to specific binding. Calcium was necessary for WGA and PHA-E binding and enhanced Con A labeling. Differences in glycoconjugate composition of the membranes of gametes and other embryo sac component cells were found. FITC-Con A strongly labeled egg and central cells, but labeled sperm only weakly. FITC-WGA binding sites were detected on egg, but not sperm cells. Con A and WGA binding sites were equally distributed around egg and central cell protoplasts. FITC-PHA-E binding sites were not found on sperm and egg cells before fertilization. Binding sites of these lectins were located on synergids, especially on their filiform apparatus. Interestingly, WGA binding to egg cells was enhanced after fertilization, whereas PHA-E binding to egg cell membranes could only be detected after fertilization. These results suggest the occurrence of fertilization-induced changes in glycoconjugate composition of the maize egg cell membrane. An increase in the number of WGA and PHA-E binding sites was also observed on newly formed cell walls of cultured two-celled embryos derived from in vitro-produced zygotes.     

Variations in distribution of con A receptor sites and anionic groups during red blood cell differentiation in the rat

The distribution of receptors for concanavalin A (Con A) and anionic groups on plasma membranes of developing blood cells was investigated in the rat. Glutaraldehyde-fixed bone marrow and circulating blood cells were exposed to ferritin-conjugated Con A or positively chaged ferric oxide (CI) and processed for electro n microscopy. The frequency of Con A and CI binding sites varied during different erythroid developmental stages and amont different leukoid cell types. There was a constant inverse relationship between Con A and CI binding sites. Among leukoid cells, Con A binding was high on plasma cells and macrophages, lower on neutrophils and lymphocytes, and still lower on eosinophils and basophils; CI binding was highest in the latter and lowest in plasma cells and macrophages. Among erythroid cells, there was a progressive increase in Con A and a decrease in CI binding after successive divisions of erythroblasts, and a progressive decrease in Con A and an increase in CI binding upon maturation of the orthochromatic erythroblast to the reticulocyte. The most pronounced modification in distribution of these sites occurred during nuclear expulsion: that protion of the plasma membrane surrounding the extruded nucleus was heavily labeled by Con A (up to four times that of the orthochromatic erythroblast) whereas the reticulocyte had considerably fewer sites. The situation was reversed with CI. The results suggest that the concentration of nonsialated glycoproteins (to which Con A binds) varies inversely to that of sialoproteins (to which CI binds) in the membrane of the differentiating erythroid cell. The remarkable changes observed at the time of nuclear extrusion suggest that there is either local modification of glycosylated groups with removal of sialyl residues from the membrane surrounding the extruded nucleus of selective segregation of membrane glycoproteins leading to a high concentration of sialoproteins (glycophroin) in the membrane of the mature erythrocyte.     

Isolation of a concanavalin A receptor from mouse L cells.

A cell surface glycoprotein receptor for concanavalin A (Con A) has been isolated from mouse L cells. The isolation procedure involved dissolving whole L cells in 0.3 M lithium diiodosalicylate and extracting with aqueous phenol. The Con A receptor, which was found in the aqueous phase of this extract, was further purified by affinity chromatography on a column of Con A-Sepharose; the receptor was adsorbed to Con A-Sepharose and eluted with 0.1 M methyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside or with 0.1 M methyl alpha-D-mannopyranoside, but not with other monosaccharides. The cell surface location of the Con A receptor purified in this way was confirmed by showing that it can be isolated from purified L cell plasma membranes and by demonstrating that it can be labeled from the exterior surface of intact L cells by the nonpenetrating galactose oxidase-KB3H4 system. Biochemical studies of the Con A receptor have shown that it migrates on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels as a single component having an apparent molecular weight of approximately 100,000. Its N-terminal amino acid is valine and it has carbohydrate attached at several (at least five) different sites along the polypeptide chain.     

Use of colloidal gold and ruthenium red in stereo high-voltage electron microscopic study of Con A-binding sites in mouse macrophages

Concanavalin A (Con A)-binding sites were labeled with colloidal gold (CG), stained with ruthenium red, and observed under a high-voltage electron microscope. Mouse peritoneal macrophages were labeled by the indirect Con A/CG labeling method at 0 degree C. After washing, some of the cells were incubated in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at 37 degrees C. The specimens were then stained with ruthenium red, to enhance the contrast of the cell surface, and embedded in Epon. Sections (0.3 approximately 3 micron thick) were cut and examined by high-voltage electron microscopy at accelerating voltages of 200 approximately 1,000 kV. Staining with ruthenium red provided a strong contrast of the cell surface and the invaginating tubules beneath it against the cytoplasm; in thick sections, both of them were clearly seen by stereomicroscopy. CG particles which represented Con A-binding sites were also sufficiently electron dense to be recognized by high-voltage electron microscopy of thick sections. The two- and three-dimensional distribution of CG particles on the ruthenium-red-positive cell surface was clearly visualized. At 0 degree C, Con A-binding sites were randomly distributed on the cell surface. The redistribution and endocytosis of Con A-binding sites were seen at 37 degrees C. The three-dimensional organization of membrane invagination, which represented the process of endocytosis, was clearly seen by stereomicroscopy. The combination of CG labeling and ruthenium red staining is a useful method for high-voltage electron microscopic analysis of the two- and three-dimensional distribution of CG-labeled ligands on the cell surface in thick sections.     

EFFECTS OF COLCHICINE, CYTOCHALASIN B, AND 2-DEOXYGLUCOSE ON THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ORGANIZATION OF SURFACE-BOUND CONCANAVALIN A IN NORMAL AND TRANSFORMED FIBROBLASTS

The distribution of surface-bound concanavalin A on the membranes of 3T3, and simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 cultured mouse fibroblasts was examined using a shadow-cast replica technique with a hemocyanin marker. When cells were prefixed in paraformaldehyde, the binding site distribution was always random on both cell types. On the other hand, labeling of transformed cells with concanavalin A (Con A) and hemocyanin at 37°C resulted in the organization of Con A binding sites (CABS) into clusters (primary organization) which were not present on the pseudopodia and other peripheral areas of the membrane (secondary organization). Treatment of transformed cells with colchicine, cytochalasin B, or 2-deoxyglucose did not alter the inherent random distribution of binding sites as determined by fixation before labeling. However, these drugs produced marked changes in the secondary (but not the primary) organization of CABS on transformed cells labeled at 37°C. Colchicine treatment resulted in the formation of a caplike aggregation of binding site clusters near the center of the cell, whereas cytochalasin B and 2-deoxyglucose led to the formation of patches of CABS over the entire membrane, eliminating the inward displacement of patches observed on untreated cells. The distribution of bound Con A on normal cells (3T3) at 37°C was always random, in both control and drug-treated preparations. Pretreatment of cells with Con A enhanced the effect of colchicine on cell morphology, but inhibited the morphological effects of cytochalasin B. The mechanisms that determine receptor movement and disposition are discussed.     

Studies of the cell surface of Dictyostelium discoideum during differentiation. The binding of 125I-concanavalin A to the cell surface.

125I-concanavalin A (125I-Con A) was found to be equally effective as native Con A in binding to and agglutinating cells of Dictyostelium discoideum, suggesting that iodination of the molecule had no effect on the interaction of the protein with the cell surface. Almost all of the 125I-Con A binding to the cells was inhibited by alpha-methyl glucoside. The binding of 125I-Con A to the cells was extremely rapid, and once bound, the molecule was not readily displaced by prolonged incubation or by the addition of excess native concanavalin A (Con A). In contrast, the 125I-Con A was displaced rapidly from the cell surface by alpha-methyl glucoside. The binding of 125I-Con A to D. discoideum was identical at 22 degrees and 4 degrees, and was unaffected by metabolic inhibitors, suggesting that the protein was not subject to endocytosis. The cell surface Con A binding sites became saturated at high 125I-Con A concentrations. Scatchard plots of the data indicated that growing cells possessed 4 X 10(7) sites/cell, all of equal affinity. Similar plots for "aggregation phase" cells indicated at least two classes of binding sites. A small proportion of the sites had an affinity close to that for the sites on growing cells, but the majority of the sites had a markedly decreased affinity. The total number of binding sites increased only slightly during aggregation to 5.6 X 10(7) sites/cell.     

Polyadenylation of nascent RNA during the embryogenesis of Ilyanassa obsoleta.

It has been demonstrated that specific changes in carbohydrate-containing cell surface lectin receptor sites occur with differentiation and maturation of sea urchin embryo cells. In this study, evidence is presented, using a quantitative electronic particle counter assay to measure agglutination, which indicates that concanavalin A (Con A) mediated agglutination of dissociated $\text{32}\text{64}$ cell sea urchin embryos differs dramatically with respect to specific cell populations. The migratory cell type, the micromere, is significantly more agglutinable with Con A than the other cell types and colchicine treatment markedly increases sea urchin embryo cell agglutinability. The results indicate that like many malignant cells which display extensive migratory behavior, specific migratory populations of embryonic cells are agglutinable with Con A. The results are discussed with respect to the possible nature of lectin receptor sites on specific populations of embryonic cells and the possible role of colchicine-sensitive structures in controlling the display patterns of these sites.     

Flow cytometric measurement of fluorescence resonance energy transfer on cell surfaces. Quantitative evaluation of the transfer efficiency on a cell-by-cell basis

A method has been developed for the determination of the efficiency (E) of the fluorescence resonance energy transfer between moieties on cell surfaces by use of a computer-controlled flow cytometer capable of dual wavelength excitation. The absolute value of E may be calculated on a single-cell basis. The analysis requires the measurement of samples stained with donor and acceptor conjugated ligands alone as well as together. In model experiments HK 22 murine lymphoma cells labeled with fluorescein-conjugated concanavalin A (Con A) and/or rhodamine conjugated Con A were used to determine energy transfer histograms. Using the analytic solution to energy transfer in two dimensions, a high surface density of Con A binding sites was found that suggests that the Con A receptor sites on the cell surface are to a degree preclustered . We call this technique flow cytometric energy transfer ( FCET ).     

CONCANAVALIN A-INDUCED AGGLUTINATION AND BINDING OF CON A TO THE DIFFERENTIATING CELLS OF DICTYOSTELIUM DISCOIDEUM

Changes in agglutinability of Dictyostelium discoideum cells with Concanavalin A (Con A) during the course of development were investigated. The agglutinability of the cells was assayed under conditions where no spontaneous cell agglutination occurred. It was found that there was a progressive decrease in Con A-induced agglutinability during development: a decrease to half from exponentially growing cells to preaggregation cells, and to sixth in disaggregated slug cells. Pronase-BAL treatment of preaggregation cells did not enhance their agglutinability with Con A. The amounts of sites available for binding Con A were determined with preaggregation and slug cells. Cells were incubated at 4°C and in the presence of NaN₃ to avoid possible endocytosis of Con A. No significant differences in numbers of Con A-binding sites per unit area of cell surface was detected among preaggregation cells, those treated with pronase and BAL and cells disaggregated from slugs by similar treatment. It was thus concluded that the decrease in Con A-induced agglutinability during development is not attributable to changes in the numbers of Con A-binding sites.