Characterization of antibodies to the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol membrane anchors of mammalian proteins.

Two polyclonal antisera were raised in rabbits to the phospholipase C-solubilized forms of pig renal dipeptidase (EC 3.4.13.11) and pig aminopeptidase P (EC 3.4.11.9). These antisera were purified and shown to cross-react with other glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (G-PI)-anchored proteins isolated from pig, human and trypanosomes. The epitopes involved in this cross-reactivity were characterized by Western-blot analysis after mild acid or nitrous acid treatment of the G-PI-anchored proteins and by a competitive e.l.i.s.a. with other G-PI-anchored proteins and individual components of the anchor structure. These studies revealed that the primary epitope for both antisera is the inositol 1.2-(cyclic)monophosphate that is formed on phospholipase C cleavage of the intact G-PI anchor. Other minor epitopes, such as phosphoethanolamine, probably involve side-chain modifications to the core anchor structure that may be species-specific.