Final answer:
Lectins are specialized proteins that bind to specific carbohydrate molecules on a cell's surface, making them ideal for determining the presence of specific carbohydrates in the cell's glycocalyx.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine which carbohydrates are present on a cell's surface, one could experimentally use lectins. Lectins are specialized proteins that bind to specific carbohydrate molecules. This binding property makes them ideal for identifying the presence of specific carbohydrates on the cell's glycocalyx, which is the sugar coating consisting of glycoproteins and glycolipids present on the exterior surface of cells.
Cadherins, proteoglycans, pectins, and connexins are associated with other cellular functions such as cell adhesion and communication but are not typically used for carbohydrate identification. Glycoproteins and glycolipids act as labels to identify the cell and assist in cell-cell recognition, which is facilitated by the binding of lectins to the carbohydrates on the cell surface.