We have carried out a comparative study of mature murine granulocytes with two immature haemopoietic cell lines (multipotential cells, FDCP-Mix, and granulocyte progenitor cells, FDCP-2) with respect to the structure and composition of their surface membrane glycopeptides. The glycopeptides were labelled biosynthetically by incubation of the cells for 1-3 days with [3H]glucosamine. Cell-associated glycopeptides were released by treatment with trypsin and the trypsin extract was exhaustively digested with Pronase to remove most residual peptide. Radiolabelled materials were fractionated by chromatography on lectin affinity columns connected in the series: lentil lectin (LCA), concanavalin A (Con A) and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). Lectin-binding glycopeptides were eluted with appropriate competing sugars and further analysed by gel filtration, base/borohydride elimination and susceptibility to degradation by glycosidases including endo-beta-galactosidase. Abundant quantities of N-linked polylactosamine-type glycopeptides, which bound only to the WGA columns, were identified on mature granulocytes but the molecules were highly-branched (i.e. resistant to endo-beta-galactosidase). In contrast, there seemed to be very little branching in the polylactosamine chains from FDCP-2 cells, whilst corresponding carbohydrates from multipotential FDCP-Mix cells gave evidence for both linear and branched domains in the same, large complex glycans. O-Linked tetrasaccharides of general structure: NeuAc-Gal-(NeuAc)-GalNAc were found in clusters on WGA-binding glycopeptides from all cell types, these components being especially prominent on mature granulocytes. FDCP-2 cells were distinguished by the presence of monosialylated and non-sialylated counterparts of the foregoing tetrasaccharides. The relative amount of LCA-binding glycopeptides was low on FDCP-Mix cells by comparison with FDCP-2 cells and mature granulocytes. Our findings therefore demonstrate that notable differences in gross composition and molecular fine structure of surface membrane glycopeptides are detectable in haemopoietic cells at different stages of development. The relationship of these differences to the biological properties of cell surfaces remains to be established.
