Lectin binding at the ovary of the chick embryo

The content, distribution and changes of the glycoconjugates sugar residues in the ovaries of chick embryos, from the 8th day of incubation to hatching and in 1-day old chick, were investigated. For this purpose, a battery of seven HRP-conjugated lectins was used (DBA, SBA, PNA, ConA, WGA, LTA and UEA I). Our data showed that SBA was a marker of the most immature oogonia in the ovarian cortex and medulla. The reactivity with ConA appeared to characterize the cells immediately prior to as well as during the meiotic division, as demonstrated by the presence of α-D-mannose at the 'Balbiani bodies' in the oogonia of the ovarian cortex. The detection of ConA and SBA reactivity corresponded to maturative stages of the early oogonia in different cortical zones of the chick ovary. Our data also revealed that PNA seemed to be a marker of the degenerating oogonia located in the ovarian medulla. Moreover, PNA binding was a characteristic finding in the endothelial cells of the vessels located in the compact portion of the medulla in the left ovary, from the 8th to the 21st day of incubation and after hatching; PNA reactivity was only seen from the 16th day onwards in the endothelial cells of the cortex. During the whole considered period of incubation and after hatching, reactivity with UEAI, LTA and DBA was never detected.