The isolation and characterization of glycopeptides and mucopolysaccharides from plasma membranes of an ascites hepatoma, AH 130 FN.

Plasma membranes were isolated from an ascites hepatoma, AH 130 FN, a free-cell type subline of AH 130, by the fluorescein mercuric acetate (FMA) method. Glycopeptides and mucopolysaccharides were prepared from the membranes by pronase digestion then fractionated chromatographically and electrophoretically. Isolated fractions were analyzed for amino acid and carbohydrate compositions. The results were compared with those for corresponding fractions from AH 66 and AH 130 ((1974) J. Biochem. 76, 319-333; (1975) ibid., 78, 863-872). The fraction excluded from Sephadex G-50 contained mucopolysaccharides and a series of glycopeptides. The mucopolysaccharides were identified as chondroitin sulfate A on the basis of their chemical composition, electrophoretic behavior on cellulose acetate and digestibility with chondroitinase AC [EC 4.2.2.5]. This contrasts with previous findings that mucopolysaccharides from the corresponding fractions from AH 130 and AH 66 were heparan sulfate. The chemical composition of the glycopeptides, which showed high contents of threonine, serine, galactose, galactosamine, glucosamine, and sialic acid, indicated the presence of glycopeptides with O-glycosidic linkages. The glycopeptides also contained a small but significant amount of aspartic acid, suggesting that N-glycosidic glycopeptides were also contained in this fraction. The fraction included in Sepnadex G-50 contaoned N-glycosidic glycopeptides as major components, since the carbohydrate moieties were composed of fucose, galactose, mannose, glucosamine, sialic acid, and a smaller amount of galactosamine. The presence of galactosamine suggested that O-glycosidic glycopeptides were present as minor components. Glycopeptides with both O- and N-glycosidic linkages were isolated from AH 130, but not from AH 66.