Preparation of eight ovalbumin subfractions by combined lectin affinity chromatography

Ovalbumin was fractionated by successive lectin affinity chromatography using concanavalin A/Sepharose and wheat germ agglutinin/Sepharose. Eight glycoprotein fractions, all behaving as ovalbumin on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, were obtained. To characterize the carbohydrate chains, the asparaginyl-carbohydrates were prepared from the Pronase digests of the ovalbumin fractions and their dansyl derivatives were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The elution profile of the dansylated asparaginyl-carbohydrates from each subfraction was compared with that from the unfractionated ovalbumin. The results indicated that the above eight subfractions could be separated from each other according to their carbohydrate chains and that three of the subfractions were homogeneous with respect to their carbohydrate chains.