Fig. 3

Confocal microscopy of mucus after staining with the glycoconjugate specific lectin RCA-FITC (a–c) and the nucleic acid-specific fluorochrome Syto60 (a, b only). The images in a and b are derived from the same dataset. a XYZ maximum intensity projection illustrating the top and side views of the lectin-stained mucus sheet. b 3D transparent projection indicating the spatial distribution of the thin individual mucus sheets. c Confocal image showing the tail of a flatworm with the lectin-stained mucus attached to the animal surface. Color allocation: in a, b, c lectin = green, in a, b nucleic acids = red (seems to stain detrimental objects), in c reflection = grey