ABSTRACT
Membrane-associated oligosaccharides fulfil important roles in the development, organization and growth of complex organisms (Feizi, 1988; Feizi and Childs, 1987). In the small intestine these oligosaccharide moieties, which occur on both enzyme and non-enzyme glycoconjugates, provide a wide range of potential binding sites for luminal and circulating biologically active ligands such as growth factors, hormones, bacteria, toxins and lectins (for reviews see Kelly et al., 1992; Pusztai, 1991; Stewart et al., 1993). Because of their high degree of carbohydrate specificity, lectins have been increasingly applied as reliable and discriminating reagents for the cytochemical detection of glycoconjugates (Damjanov, 1987; Pavelka and Ellinger, 1991; Roth, 1993; Spicer and Schulte, 1992). The purpose of this review is to highlight past and recent contributions made by lectin cytochemistry in elucidating vital processes of glycosylation and epithelial differentiation in the mammalian small intestine.
