Comparative histochemical analysis of glycoconjugates in the nasal vestibule of camel and sheep.

While Corriedale sheep survive in a wide range of climates, which prevents them to specialize for one climatic condition only, dromedary camels strictly adapted to desert areas. This demands more adaptive mechanisms to hot, dry conditions in camels than in sheep. Being the entrance of the nasal cavity, nasal vestibule is subjected to various environmental stressors. A protective way is the lining epithelium which is cornified in camel, but not in sheep. Mucus nasal secretions also play a key role in the protection of underlyings. Additionally, arterio-venous anastomosis is present in the lamina propria of the nasal vestibule of camel. In the present paper, sugar residues in the nasal vestibule of camel were analyzed and compared with those of sheep using 14 types of lectins to explore the distribution of glycoconjugates that may help the function of camel nasal vestibule in desert environment. In camel, none of the lectins could label the basal cells of the vestibular epithelium, although the basal cells reacted with six lectins in sheep. In camel, LEL and RCA-120 markedly labeled the luminal surface. WGA, DBA, SBA, and VVA produced marked intensities on the luminal surface in sheep. The mucous glands reacted with six lectins: WGA, s-WGA, VVA, PNA, PHA-E, and PHA-L in camel, while all lectins used except s-WGA and PHA-E reacted in the sheep. In summary, great differences are observed in the glycoconjugate expression between camel and sheep. This suggests that these glycoconjugate are related to camel's tolerance for environmental stressors.