Concanavalin A-horseradish peroxidase bridge staining of alpha-1 glycoproteins separated by isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gel.

The Coomassie Blue protein stain and the periodic acid-Schiff stain for glycoproteins are compared to a new method of staining glycoproteins resolved electrophoretically. The method utilizes a Concanavalin A-horseradish peroxidase sequence to visualize selectively glycoproteins with terminal or internal mannose or terminal N-acetylglucosamine. The method applied to characterization of M and Z allele products of alpha-l-antitrypsins separated by isoelectric focusing of polyacrylamide gels slabs have revealed differences in carbohydrate content of various components that were previously undetected.