Organ-related differences in binding of Dolichos biflorus agglutinin to vascular endothelium

We screened cryostat sections of tissues from 10 inbred strains of mice with a panel of conjugated lectins, in a search for polymorphisms which could be used as markers in mouse chimeras. In DDK and RIII mice, but not the other strains tested, there are binding sites on the membrane of vascular endothelial cells for Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), which is specific for terminal nonreducing N-acetyl galactosamine residues. The expression of DBA binding sites on RIII and DDK endothelium is not, however, uniform: there are consistent differences between blood vessels in different organs. These observations provide evidence of an organ-related heterogeneity in vascular endothelium which is open to biochemical analysis, and which raises the possibility that endothelial cells carry a “tissue address.”