Investigations of asialoglycoprotein receptor glycosylation by lectin affinity methods

Abstract

The asialoglycoprotein receptor belongs to the family of calcium-dependent (C-type) animal lectins. The purified receptor is a glycoprotein in which 10 % of the dry weight consists of sialic acid, galactose, N-acetylglucosamine and mannose. The carbohydrate content of the asialoglycoprotein receptor was investigated by lectin affinity methods. The usefulness of plant lectin affinity methods in the characterization of the saccharide content of the asialoglycoprotein receptor, as an animal lectin, is demonstrated. RCA I ConA, PHA, SNA I and WGA showed greater affinity toward the asialoglycoprotein receptor, while PSL, AAA and PNA showed negligible interactions with the asialoglycoprotein receptor. The obtained results correlated well with the carbohydrate content of the asialoglycoprotein receptor as determined by chemical methods.

Keywords

• asialoglycoprotein receptor (asgp-r)
• glycosylation
• lectins
• lectin affinity methods