Lectin binding defines and differentiates M-cells in mouse small intestine and caecum

Abstract

M-cell surface glycoconjugate expression was investigated by applying a panel of lectins to whole fixed mouse Peyer's and caecal patches. While the majority of lectins failed to identify mouse M-cells, the lectin Euonymus europaeus differentially stained the surface of M-cells in both mouse Peyer's and caecal patches, and the lectins Ulex europaeus II and Bandeiraea simplicifolia I isolectin B4 identified M-cells in the Peyer's and caecal patch follicle associated epithelium, respectively. These three mouse M-cell markers failed to identify rat and rabbit Peyer's patch M-cells, although both Euonymus europaeus and Ulex europaeus II differentially stained M-cells in the periphery of rabbit caecal patch domes. These site and species related variations in M-cell surface glycoconjugate expression may reflect the local microorganism populations and will have important implications if orally delivered vaccines and drugs are to be targeted to M-cells via their surface glycoconjugates.

Glycoconjugate Expression Defines the Origin and Differentiation Pathway of Intestinal M-cells

“…Although some of the confocal images gave the impression that three subtypes of M-cells could exist according to the expression of ␣ 1-2-linked fucose or GalNAc, at the electron microscopic level no distinct subtypes were found, but rather a continuous spectrum of labeling intensities. Heterogeneity among the M-cells of individual domes has likewise been reported for the binding of the lectins UEA-I, AAA, and EEA to M-cells of murine Peyer's and cecal patches (Giannasca et al 1994;Clark et al 1995) and for the binding of UEA-I and Lotus lectin to M-cells in the palatine tonsil of rabbits (Gebert 1996). The lectin labeling of living tissue performed in the present study demonstrates that variations in the saccharide composition of the apical membrane of M-cells indeed exist in the living system, which probably play a role in the differential adherence to and uptake of antigens by M-cells.…”

Analysis of the distribution of binding sites for the plant lectin Bandeiraea simplicifolia I‐isolectin B4 on primary sensory neurones in seven mammalian species

“…Consistent with this idea is the expression of different glycoconjugates by distinct functional classes of cells in the visual (Chan et al, 1999), respiratory (Kasper and Singh, 1995;BurkhardtHolm, 1997;Dorscheid et al, 1999), gustatory (Zeng et al, 1995), olfactory (Taniguchi et al, 1993;Shnayder-Shapiro et al, 1995;Nakajima et al, 1998;, gastrointestinal (Sato and Spicer, 1982;Falk et al, 1994;Ge et al, 1998;Gebhard and Gebert, 1999;Poorkhalkali et al, 1999), reproductive (Zhou et al, 1994;Arenas et al, 1998;Romo et al, 1999), and immune (Clark et al, 1995;Sharma et al, 1996;Foster et al, 1998) systems in a variety of mammalian species.…”

Peyer's Patch M Cells Derived from Lgr5+ Stem Cells Require SpiB and Are Induced by RankL in Cultured “Miniguts”

“…A similar analysis, performed approximately 6 months after Cre induction, showed that the FAE retained LacZ ϩ cells. To detect M cells within these ribbons of blue cells, sections were stained with the lectin Ulex europaeus agglutinin 1 (UEA-1), a specific M cell marker (9), (5). Although the lectin also detects glycoproteins on Paneth and goblet cell membranes, these cell types are never seen in the FAE when sections are stained for lysozyme or periodic acid Schiff's, respectively.…”