Isolation and characterization of endogenous ligands for liver mannan-binding protein

Endogenous ligands for the hepatic lectin which is specific for mannose and N-acetylglucosamine (mannan-binding protein, MBP) were isolated from rat liver rough microsomes and primary cultured hepatocytes by affinity chromatography on an immobilized MBP column. Western blotting using specific antisera revealed that serum glycoproteins, alpha 1-macroglobulin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, and a lysosomal enzyme, beta-glucuronidase were the major constituents of the endogenous ligands. These endogenous ligands consisted of high mannose-type oligosaccharides of Man9GlcNAc2 and Man8GlcNAc2, and had rapid turnover rates with an average half-life of 45 min, indicating that they were mainly composed of biosynthetic intermediates of glycoproteins. In view of the identification of the endogenous ligands as the biosynthetic intermediates of glycoproteins, the possible functions of the intracellular lectin are discussed in relation to the intracellular transport of glycoproteins.