Flow cytometric analysis of the binding of eleven lectins to human T- and B-cells and to human T- and B-cell lines

The relative surface binding of 11 lectins to human peripheral blood T- and B-lymphocytes, to Molt-4 and JM T-cell lines, and to 6410 and NC37 B-cell lines was determined by flow cytometry. The lectins from Lens culinaris (LCA), Ricinus communis (RCA), Arachis hypogaea (PNA), Abrus precatorius (APA), Ulex europaeus (UEA-F), Sarothamnus scoparius (SAS-F), Helix pomatia (HPA), Phaseolus coccineus (L-PHA), Glycine max (SBA), and Triticum vulgare (WGA) were fluoresceinated and incubated with living, formaldehyde-fixed, or neuraminidase-treated cells. Except LCA, which preferentially bound to the two B-cell lines tested in this study, none of the other lectins exhibited selective binding to the undifferentiated cells of the cell lines. The T-cell lines and, in part, the peripheral blood T-cells bound less WGA, APA, LCA, and L-PHA than the B-cell lines and the peripheral blood B-cells. Binding of PNA was found only after neuraminidase treatment of the cells; the binding of PNA, HPA, and UEA-F after neuraminidase treatment was higher for the T-cells than the B-cells from peripheral blood. No significant differences were detected between both cell types for RCA, ConA, SBA, and SAS-F.