[Caragana arborescens lectin--a marker of myoepitheliocytes of salivary glands].

Submaxillary salivary gland preparations of a horse, a cow, a pig, a rabbit and white outbred rats were stained with peroxidase-labeled lectins of different carbohydrate specificity. It was found that N-acetyl-D-galactosamine-specific lectins (Caragana arborescens Lam., Phaseolus unatus seeds, Helix pomatia sails) bind selectively with myoepitheliocytes. Best marker of the latter proved to be Caragana arborescens lectin, consisting of two components which differ in their affinity to N-acetyl-D-galactosamine and D-galactose and histochemical properties. Only one of them (the main component, GABA-1) may serve as myoepitheliocyte marker.