Evidence for the occurrence of O-glycosidically linked oligosaccharides of poly-N-acetyllactosamine type on the human leucocyte common antigen.

High molecular weight glycoproteins of human B and T lymphocytes known as leucocyte common antigen or T200 have been shown to carry O- and N-glycosidically linked, sialylated, carbohydrate chains. The O-linked chains are polydisperse and those of B rather than T cell type are highly susceptible to degradation by endo-beta-galactosidase. These differences among lymphocytes that are functionally distinct raise the possibility that the oligosaccharides may contribute to the functions of these differentiation molecules as well as to their electrophoretic diversity.