Distinct properties of receptors for Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) isolated from small intestine of adult mice and endoderm cells of early embryos and teratocarcinomas.

Receptors for Dolichos biflorus agglutinin are only expressed in severely restricted cell populations of the mouse. The receptors were isolated from mouse embryos, teratocarcinoma cells, and the small intestine of adult mice. Upon SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, all of the receptor preparations migrated as distinct glycoprotein bands; the apparent molecular weights were more than 150 kilodaltons in all cases. The sizes of the carbohydrate moieties determined by gel filtration after alkaline NaBH4 treatment appeared to correlate with the status of cell differentiation. Thus, as has previously been reported, the receptors from teratocarcinoma OTT6050 and embryonal carcinoma cells (F9 and N4-1) contained large amounts of high-molecular-weight carbohydrates eluted near the excluded volume of a Sephadex-G-50 column. The receptors from 6.5-day embryos also contained high-molecular-weight carbohydrates, whose average molecular weight was lower than those obtained from OTT6050, F9, or N4-1. The receptors from PYS-2 parietal endoderm cells, END-C-2 visceral endoderm cells, and the small intestine did not contain significant amounts of the large carbohydrates. These results illustrate the complex nature of the cell-surface changes accompanying cell differentiation.