Role of galactose in the antigenic properties of thyroglobulin.

Thyroglobulins (TG) from a "hot" human thyroid nodule and from Fisher rats have been purified and the effects of progressive removal of sialic acid and galactose on the immunoreactive properties of the proteins were studied. Terminal sialic acid and galactose were released by stepwise hydrolysis with neuraminidase and beta-galactosidase. Agalacto-TG shows a slower electrophoretic mobility than native TG, but in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis it migrates in the same position as asialo-TG. In immunodiffusion agalacto-TG forms a spur with native TG and asialo-TG when tested against anti 19S native TG or anti-asialo-TG sera. It is thus shown that galactose in the terminal environment of the oligosaccharide chains of thyroglobulin is essential for the structural groups involved in the antigenic properties of thyroglobulin.