Expression patterns of complex glycoconjugates and endogenous lectins during fetal development of the viscerocranium

Summary Experimental evidence suggests that carbohydrates and their corresponding receptors (endogenous lectins) decode biological information. Therefore, the expression of complex oligosaccharides — the potential ligand part of this recognition system — during chondrogenesis and osteogenesis was determined in the viscerocranium of fetal rats by mapping the staining patterns of exogenous lectins. Results were compared with the expression of bone- and/or cartilage-specific core proteins and the binding profiles of neoglycoconjugates. These synthetic tools make possible the localization of sugar-ligand-binding sites. The spatial and temporal distribution patterns of glycoconjugates were highl…