Lectin histochemical studies on the olfactory epithelium and vomeronasal organ in the Japanese striped snake,Elaphe quadrivirgata |
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| Authors: | Daisuke Kondoh Yoshio Yamamoto Nobuaki Nakamuta Kazumi Taniguchi Kazuyuki Taniguchi |
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| Institution: | 1. Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate 020‐8550, Japan;2. Laboratory of Veterinary Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate 020‐8550, Japan;3. Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Kitasato University School of Veterinary Medicine, Towada, Aomori 034‐8628, Japan |
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| Abstract: | The olfactory epithelium and the vomeronasal organ of the Japanese striped snake were examined by lectin histochemistry. Of the 21 lectins used in the study, all lectins except succinylated‐wheat germ agglutinin (s‐WGA) showed similar binding patterns in the vomeronasal receptor cells and the olfactory receptor cells with varying intensities. The binding patterns of s‐WGA varied among individuals in the vomeronasal and olfactory receptor cells, respectively. Four lectins, Bandeiraea simplicifolia lectin‐II (BSL‐II), Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), Sophora japonica agglutinin (SJA), and Erythrina cristagalli lectin (ECL) stained secretory granules and the organelles in the olfactory supporting cells and did not stain them in the vomeronasal supporting cells. These results suggest that the glycoconjugate moieties are similar in the vomeronasal and olfactory receptor cells of the Japanese striped snake. J. Morphol., 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. |
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| Keywords: | glycoconjugates olfaction receptor cells reproductive season sauropsids |
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