THE ROLE OF GALNAC TERMINAL SUGAR ON ADERNAL GLAND DEVELOPMENT

Glycoconjugates, particularly their sugar side chains, play important roles in embryonic development. This study was conduced to examine sugar or terminal glycoconjugate sugar chains of surface developing medullary cells in mouse embryonic suprarenal glands. Mice embryos at days 13 to 20 of gestation developed th th by mating of 32 Balb/c mice, were serially cut at a tickness of 5 µm. For observation of suprarenal glands and selection of proper samples, specimens were first stained with hematoxyline-eosine (H and E) methods, then by using lectin histochemistry processing microscopic study was done. Among the used lectins such as; SBA, PNA, ConA, WGA and LTA only SBA and PNA on different embryonic days, with intensity and weakness related to the age, decrease and/or increase of chromaffin cells, showed medullary region of adrenal gland. PNA was used as positive control. The timing and distribution of staining with the lectin SBA suggest that, glycoconjugates containing N-acetyl-galactosamin may play a role in development of chromaffin cells at medullary region of suprarenal gland.