Isolation and chemical and immunochemical characterization of the peanut-lectin-binding glycoprotein from human milk-fat-globule membranes

Membrane glycoprotein with high Mr (HMr-MGP) was purified from neuraminidase-treated Triton X-100-solubilized human milk-fat-globule membranes by peanut-agglutinin (PNA) affinity chromatography. The high carbohydrate content (75%), blood-group-A activity and typical monosaccharide composition (L-fucose, D-galactose, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine in the proportions 0.26:1.00:1.85:1.30) indicate that the isolated HMr-MGP is a mucinous substance. Fractionation of the oligosaccharides from alkaline-borohydride-treated HMr-MGP on Bio-Gel P-2 suggest that the PNA-binding sites are located mainly on longer (tetra- to deca-saccharide) alkali-labile bound oligosaccharide chains. Polyclonal antibodies raised against the HMr-MGP showed an antigenic distribution in histological sections that was comparable with the distribution of peroxidase-labelled-PNA-binding sites in both normal and malignant breast tissues. The positive immunohistological staining of some other tissue components with this antibody indicates that HMr-MGP is not strictly breast-associated. The functional role of HMr-MGP is unknown, but, since its expression is dependent on the differentiation state of secretory epithelial cells, it serves as a differentiation antigen that can be used for better functional characterization of breast cancers.