Using Concanavalin A to Probe the Endoplasmic Reticulum Network in Albino Swiss Mouse Embryo Cells

A single Swiss mouse embryo fibroblast cell resident in an adherent culture and stained with Alexa Fluor 488 conjugated to the lectin concanavalin A is presented in this section. Concanavalin A selectively binds to alpha-mannopyranosyl and alpha-glucopyranosyl residues in glycoproteins found in the endoplasmic reticulum. The specimen was also counterstained with TO-PRO-3, targeting DNA in the nuclei.