PubMed · 4105311
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E J de Souza. 1971. Histochemical method. Its evolution and applications.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4105311/
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Recent progress in the search for the physiological role of plant lectins supports the idea that some of these proteins are involved in the defence mechanisms of the plant. To place the evidence in favour of such a defensive role in a broad perspective, a short overview is given of the most important plant pathogens and predators. In addition, the solutions that plants have developed to resist the continuous threat of a hostile environment are briefly discussed in relation to the protective role of proteins in general. The presumed involvement of plant lectins in defence mechanisms is first inferred from an analysis of the biochemical, physiological, cellular biological and molecular biological properties of plant lectins. Subsequently, the available experimental evidence for the involvement of lectins in the plant's defence against viruses, bacteria, fungi and herbivorous invertebrates and vertebrates is discussed in some detail. Since the defensive role of plant lectins is determined largely by their ability to recognize and bind foreign glycans, a brief discussion is given of how the basically protective properties of these proteins can be exploited for histochemical applications in biological and biomedical research.
The lectins Peanut agglutinin (PNA), Canavalia ensiformis (Con A), Ulex europaeus-1 (UEA-1), Dolichos biflorus (DBA), Triticum vulgaris (WGA) were studied in a series of 36 meningiomas (16 meningotheliomatous-including 3 recurrences, 7 transitional, 4 angiomatous, 2 "hemangiopericytic", 3 papillary-including 1 recurrence, 4 anaplastic-including 3 recurrences. PNA binds to all cases of meningotheliomatous, transitional, papillary and anaplastic meningiomas (including recurrent cases) but the staining is more intense in tumor cells of anaplastic and papillary type. A semiquantitative study showed differences of PNA-reactivity in the different subtypes of meningiomas. In meningotheliomatous meningiomas PNA-positivity was encountered in numerous neoplastic cells (50%), whereas papillary and anaplastic subtypes expressed strong cytoplasmic staining of few tumor cells (< 5%). Con A shows the same pattern of reactivity described for PNA, but more weakly. Our results suggest that PNA is a marker of differentiation in meningiomas rather than malignant transformation and can have prognostic relevance.
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