Interaction of gamma-glutamyltransferase from human tissues with insolubilized lectins.

We have characterized the binding of gamma-glutamyltransferase to three insolubilized lectins. Optimal binding was achieved in 2 hours at 25 degrees C for concanavalin A and at 4 derees C for ricinus communis agglutinin 120 and wheat germ agglutinin,and was also a function of the ratio of lectin protein to gamma-glutamyltransferase protein. The interaction of gamma-glutamyltransferase with these three lectins is specific, and release of bound enzyme by carbohydrates follows the same general order of specificity previously observed for the competition between mono or polysaccharides for the lectin carbohydrate binding sites. The binding of trypsin-solubilized liver gamma-glutamyltransferase to the three insolubilized lectins was virtually identical to that of detergent solubilized enzyme. We propose, therefore, that the release by proteolytic enzymes, of gamma-glutamyltransferase from plasma membrane matrix does not significantly alter its carbohydrate structure. We obtained great differences in binding to the three lectins between the liver, kidney, pancreatic and duodenal isoenzymes of gamma-glutamyltransferase. From this data we conclude that carbohydrate content and topography are important distinguishing features of gamma-glutamyltransferase isoenzymes.