Analysis of the distribution of binding sites for the plant lectin <TOGGLE>Bandeiraea simplicifolia</TOGGLE> I-isolectin B<INF>4</INF> on primary sensory neurones in seven mammalian species

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the binding patterns of the plant lectin Bandeiraea simplicifolia I-isolectin B<INF>4</INF> (BSI-B<INF>4</INF>) to sensory neurones in seven mammalian species. The dorsal root ganglia and spinal cords of three rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, flying foxes, cats, and marmoset monkeys were screened for BSI-B<INF>4</INF> using lectin histochemistry. BSI-B<INF>4</INF> binding was associated with the soma of predominantly small-diameter primary sensory neurones in the dorsal root ganglia and their axon terminals within laminae I and II of the superficial dorsal horn in all seven species. The similarities of lectin binding patterns in each of these species suggest that the glycoconjugate to which BSI-B<INF>4</INF> binds has a ubiquitous distribution in mammals, and supports the proposal that this lectin may preferentially bind to a subpopulation of sensory neurones with a similar functional role in each of these species. Anat Rec 268:105–114, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.