Proteins and glycoproteins in plasma membranes and in the membrane lamellae produced by purified oligodendroglia in culture.

Oligodendroglial plasma membranes are complex structures composed of a heterogeneous mixture of proteins and glycoproteins. The Coomassie stained gel patterns showed a maximum of 40 proteins with molecular weights ranging from greater than 200,000 to 12,500. Autoradiography was used to detect binding of radioiodinated lectins to glycoproteins. With concanavalin A, 5 major glycoproteins were seen; with wheat germ agglutinin, 2 major glycoproteins with approximate molecular weights of 95,000 and 78,000 were found; with Ulex europaeus, 7 major glycoproteins were observed. Additional minor bands were also seen. The impermeant probe diazodi[125I]iodosulfanilic acid was used to radiolabel intact cells. It was found that 5 major proteins were radiolabeled in the plasma membranes. In all cases, the whorls of membrane lamellae produced in culture by oligodendroglia tend to have a somewhat less complicated pattern with fewer proteins and glycoproteins than the plasma membranes. However, the whorls of membrane lamellae have far more complicated protein patterns than myelin.