Differences between normal and scaleless (sc/sc) chicken epidermal cell surfaces detected with wheat germ agglutinin

Dissociated epidermal cells derived from the backskin of scaleless chick embryos (stage 34 or 35) form larger agglutinates with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) than epidermal cells from normal embryonic skin. [³H]Acetyl WGA binding to the scaleless cells is twice as great as to normal epidermal cells. Treatment of these cells with concanavalin A (conA) results in equivalent agglutination of both mutant and normal epidermal cells, whereas neither scaleless nor normal epidermal cells are agglutinated by Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), soybean agglutinin (SBA) or Ulex europeus agglutinin (UEA). This alteration in cell surface carbohydrates may be related to the failure of the scaleless mutant embryonic epidermis to undergo normal morphogenesis.