Methyl Mannoside Research Articles

Migration of para-Nitrophenyl Groups in Methyl Pyranosides: Configuration and Conformation Determine the Kinetics.

para-Nitrophenyl (PNP) ethers of glycosides are important building blocks en route to functional carbohydrates. They are stable in neutral media, however, under basic conditions such as during the Zemplén deacylation of sugars, aryl migration is frequently observed. We have employed a library of O-PNP-substituted methyl glycosides of the manno-, galacto-, gluco- and altro-series to study the kinetics of aryl migration in MeOH/sodium methoxide using NMR spectroscopy revealing that migration between cis-oriented OH groups is faster than between trans-oriented ones. The rate constants of migration decrease in the order of Alt>Man>Gal>Glc and are related to the energy barriers of chair conformation inversion. The energy profile of the 3 to 4-PNP migration in methyl mannoside was calculated using DFT methods suggesting the Meisenheimer complex is an intermediate of PNP migration and that coordination of the sodium cation has a major impact on the energy profile.

Discovery of Two Classes of Potent Glycomimetic Inhibitors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa LecB with Distinct Binding Modes

The treatment of infections due to the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is often difficult, as a consequence of bacterial biofilm formation. Such a protective environment shields the bacterium from host defense and antibiotic treatment and secures its survival. One crucial factor for maintenance of the biofilm architecture is the carbohydrate-binding lectin LecB. Here, we report the identification of potent mannose-based LecB inhibitors from a screening of four series of mannosides in a novel competitive binding assay for LecB. Cinnamide and sulfonamide derivatives are inhibitors of bacterial adhesion with up to a 20-fold increase in affinity to LecB compared to the natural ligand methyl mannoside. Because many lectins of the host require terminal saccharides (e.g., fucosides), such capped structures as reported here may offer a beneficial selectivity profile for the pathogenic lectin. Both classes of compounds show distinct binding modes at the protein, offering the advantage of a simultaneous development of two new lead structures as anti-pseudomonadal drugs with an anti-virulence mode of action.

Synthesis and testing of the first azobenzene mannobioside as photoswitchable ligand for the bacterial lectin FimH

In order to allow spatial and temporal control of carbohydrate-specific bacterial adhesion, it has become our goal to synthesise azobenzene mannosides as photoswitchable inhibitors of type 1 fimbriae-mediated adhesion of E. coli. An azobenzene mannobioside 2 was prepared and its photochromic properties were investigated. The E→Z isomerisation was found to be highly effective, yielding a long-lived (Z)-isomer. Both isomers, E and Z, show excellent water solubility and were tested as inhibitors of mannoside-specific bacterial adhesion in solution. Their inhibitory potency was found to be equal and almost two orders of magnitude higher than that of the standard inhibitor methyl mannoside. These findings could be rationalised on the basis of computer-aided docking studies. The properties of the new azobenzene mannobioside have qualified this glycoside to be eventually employed on solid support, in order to fabricate photoswitchable adhesive surfaces.

2-Oxabutane as a substitute for internal monomer units of oligosaccharides to create lectin ligands

The synthesis of bioactive oligosaccharides is too tedious to scale up for commercialization. However, structurally simplified glycomimetics are commercializable, if they can be synthesized much more easily than the oligosaccharides while having a comparable bioactivity. In this study, we propose a 2-oxabutane (OB) structure as an imitation of the internal monosaccharide units in oligosaccharides. Two trimannoside and three pentamannoside OB-glycomimics were synthesized in remarkably short steps. Among them, Manα1-OB-2Man 10, a trimannoside mimic, showed eight-fold affinity toward concanavalin A (ConA) relative to methyl mannoside in latex agglutination lectin assay and equilibrium dialysis assay (EDA), while the other mimics showed three- to four-fold affinities. EDA indicated that the bindings between each mimic molecule and a ConA subsite were all in one-to-one stoichiometry and thus these mimics were monovalent ligands, excluding multivalence effect for the high affinities. The strong affinity of 10 could be explained by the occupation of two mannose binding sites of a ConA subsite by its two mannose units. Mimic 10 proved to be even a better ligand for ConA than the natural disaccharide Manα1,2Man, while been much more easy to synthesize, thereby illustrating the potential of the approach here presented.

Pseudo-affinity chromatographic approach to probe heterogeneity in buffalo pituitary luteinizing hormone: probable pseudolectin-like behavior of immobilized Cibacron Blue 3GA

The alpha (α) and beta (β) subunits of buffalo pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH) were chromatographed on Cibacron Blue 3GA agarose and their immunoreactivity was quantitated using anti-α and anti-β anti sera. Subsequent analyses showed α subunits were relatively more hydrophilic than β subunits. Further, the naturally occurring free α and β subunits were more hydrophobic than their native counterparts which were dissociated and isolated from heterodimeric LH. The lesser sugar content in freely occurring α and beta subunits may be attributed for increased hydrophobicity and consequent upon the existence of their uncombined free forms. In order to ascertain putative sugar–dye interaction, crude LH carrying free subunits, pure LH, and non-glycosylated recombinant β subunit of LH were loaded separately on Cibacron Blue. Methyl mannoside was able to elute 33% of the bound protein in case of crude and pure LH, whereas there was little (3%) elution in case of recombinant LH β subunit. This study suggests a compositional heterogeneity in free and native subunits of LH from the buffalo pituitary. In addition, our findings reveal the pseudolectin-like behavior of Cibacron Blue.

A Facile Latex Agglutination Lectin Assay (LALA) for Weakly Binding Ligands

To apply the latex agglutination lectin assay (LALA) to carbohydrate ligands, monosaccharide derivatives were incorporated onto latex beads by various methods, and the usefulness of the resulting beads was evaluated. The best outcome, which resulted in aggregation with lectin concentrations of 1 to 4 μg/mL, was obtained when latex beads coated with bovine serum albumin were treated with divinylsulfone, a linker agent, and then with 2-aminoethyl glycosides. Monosaccharides with an amino or anomeric hydroxyl group other than N-acetylglucosamine were applicable in this direct LALA. For example, mannose- and 5-thiomannose-coupled latex beads showed aggregation with minimum concanavalin (ConA) concentrations of 4 and 32 μg/mL, respectively. An inhibition assay was more versatile than the direct LALA, and the standardized inhibition activity (EC0 50) was determined for several compounds. Representative EC0 50 data for mannose, methyl mannoside, and p-nitrophenyl mannoside (1, 0.12, and 0.06 mM, respectively) are consistent with those reported with other methods. We obtained EC0 50 values for some synthetic compounds with slightly different binding abilities to ConA, demonstrating a semiquantitative character of this method. The inhibition LALA can be performed without instrumentation or tedious derivatization and is thus suitable for the rapid evaluation of monovalent ligands prior to assemblage into multivalent ligands.

Preparing T Cell Growth Factor from Rat Splenocytes

Maintenance of antigen-specific T cell lines or clones in culture requires rounds of antigen-induced activation separated by phases of cell expansion. Addition of interleukin 2 to the culture media during the expansion phase is necessary to prevent cell death and sufficient to maintain short-term T cell lines but has been shown to increase Th1 polarization (3). Replacement of interleukin 2 by T cell growth factor (TCGF) which contains a mix of cytokines is more effective than interleukin 2 in maintaining long-term T cell lines in vitro (3). Moreover, TCGF can easily be prepared in large amounts in the laboratory and is much cheaper than recombinant interleukin 2. Here, we show how to prepare TCGF from rat splenocyte culture supernatants. For this procedure, we harvest spleens from naive Lewis rats euthanized for thymus and blood collection. We prepare single-cell suspensions from the spleens, lyze the red blood cells by osmotic shock, and seed the splenocytes in culture medium. The cells are stimulated with concanavalin A, a mitogen that non-selectively activates all rat T lymphocytes, inducing the production of cytokines. The culture supernantant is collected 48 hours later and excess concanavalin A is bound to alpha methyl mannoside to prevent it from activating T cell lines to which TCGF will be added. The TCGF is then sterile-filtered, aliquoted, and stored at -20 degrees C.

Oligomannoside mimetics by glycosylation of ‘octopus glycosides’ and their investigation as inhibitors of type 1 fimbriae-mediated adhesion of Escherichia coli

The glycocalyx of eukaryotic cells is composed of glycoconjugates, which carry highly complex oligosaccharide portions. To elucidate the biological role and function of the glycocalyx in cell-cell communication and cellular adhesion processes, glycomimetics have become targets of glycosciences, which resemble the composition and structural complexity of the glycocalyx constituents. Here, we report about the synthesis of a class of oligosaccharide mimetics of a high-mannose type, which were obtained by mannosylation of spacered mono- and oligosaccharide cores. These carbohydrate-centered cluster mannosides have been targeted as inhibitors of mannose-specific bacterial adhesion, which is mediated by so-called type 1 fimbriae. Their inhibitory potencies were measured by ELISA and compared to methyl mannoside as well as to a series of mannobiosides, and finally to the polysaccharide mannan. The obtained results suggest a new interpretation of the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion according to a macromolecular rather than a multivalency effect.

Stereoselective Synthesis of Allyl‐C‐mannosyl Compounds: Use of a Temporary Silicon Connection in Intramolecular Allylation Strategies with Allylsilanes.

Methyl mannoside 16 containing an allyldimethylsilyl ether at C(2) was synthesized in nine steps from D-mannose. Reaction with TMSOTf in MeCN at room-temperature effected C-glycosylation to provide the alpha-allyl-C-mannosyl product 18 with excellent stereoselectivity. Crossover experiments over a range of reaction concentrations proved that reaction was proceeding via an intermolecular pathway rather than the hoped-for intramolecular delivery route. The exceptionally high stereoselectivity of this allylation in the presence of an acid-scavenger, 2,6-DTBMP, can be attributed to the allylsilyl ether 16 behaving as the allylating agent. Geometrical constraints in the seven-membered ring transition state account for the lack of intramolecular allyl transfer. Attaching a modified allylsilane 29a-c to C(2)OH of methyl mannoside 15 improved matters. Reaction of the tethered mannosides 27a-c with TMSOTf in the presence of 2,6-DTBMP in MeCN at rt provided a range of products, which depended on the size of the alkyl substituents at the silyl ether tether. Diene products were the major compounds irrespective of the size of the alkyl substituents at the silyl ether tether. Their formation can be understood by intramolecular allylation of the allylsilane on to the activated anomeric center, followed by collapse of the intermediate carbocation by preferential attack of an external nucleophile at the silyl ether tether, rather than at the allylic silicon center. A cascade of further reactions rationalizes the formation of the 2-dienyl-substituted tetrahydrofuran 30 and dienes 39 and 40. The desired beta-allyl-C-mannosyl products 42 and 43 were obtained, albeit in low yield, when bulky ethyl and isopropyl groups were employed at the silyl ether tether. Stereospecific oxidative cleavage of the silyl tether in 42 and 43 provided the corresponding stereodefined diols 44 and 45, respectively. Attempts to improve the yield and diastereoselectivity of the desired beta-allyl-C-mannosyls by moving to a sulfoxide mannosyl donor, which could be activated at low temperature, proved unsuccessful.

Stereoselective synthesis of allyl-C-mannosyl compounds: use of a temporary silicon connection in intramolecular allylation strategies with allylsilanes.

Methyl mannoside 16 containing an allyldimethylsilyl ether at C(2) was synthesized in nine steps from D-mannose. Reaction with TMSOTf in MeCN at room-temperature effected C-glycosylation to provide the alpha-allyl-C-mannosyl product 18 with excellent stereoselectivity. Crossover experiments over a range of reaction concentrations proved that reaction was proceeding via an intermolecular pathway rather than the hoped-for intramolecular delivery route. The exceptionally high stereoselectivity of this allylation in the presence of an acid-scavenger, 2,6-DTBMP, can be attributed to the allylsilyl ether 16 behaving as the allylating agent. Geometrical constraints in the seven-membered ring transition state account for the lack of intramolecular allyl transfer. Attaching a modified allylsilane 29a-c to C(2)OH of methyl mannoside 15 improved matters. Reaction of the tethered mannosides 27a-c with TMSOTf in the presence of 2,6-DTBMP in MeCN at rt provided a range of products, which depended on the size of the alkyl substituents at the silyl ether tether. Diene products were the major compounds irrespective of the size of the alkyl substituents at the silyl ether tether. Their formation can be understood by intramolecular allylation of the allylsilane on to the activated anomeric center, followed by collapse of the intermediate carbocation by preferential attack of an external nucleophile at the silyl ether tether, rather than at the allylic silicon center. A cascade of further reactions rationalizes the formation of the 2-dienyl-substituted tetrahydrofuran 30 and dienes 39 and 40. The desired beta-allyl-C-mannosyl products 42 and 43 were obtained, albeit in low yield, when bulky ethyl and isopropyl groups were employed at the silyl ether tether. Stereospecific oxidative cleavage of the silyl tether in 42 and 43 provided the corresponding stereodefined diols 44 and 45, respectively. Attempts to improve the yield and diastereoselectivity of the desired beta-allyl-C-mannosyls by moving to a sulfoxide mannosyl donor, which could be activated at low temperature, proved unsuccessful.

CONVENIENT SYNTHESIS OF METHYL L-GLYCERO-D-MANNO-HEPTOPYRANOSIDE

Methyl L-glycero-D-manno-heptoside was prepared from a butane diacetal (BDA) derivative of methyl mannoside. Benzylation of the 3,4-BDA mannoside gave the 2-benzyl ether as a major product, which eliminated blocking and deblocking of the primary hydroxy group for the preparation of a mannoside bearing a free 6-OH. Swern oxidation of the 2-O-Bn-3,4-BDA mannoside followed by a Grignard reaction and osmylation gave L-glycero-D-manno-3, 4-BDA heptoside in 79 % yield. We found that the 3,4-BDA mannoside, its 2-O-Bn mannoside, and the 3,4-BDA heptoside could be prepared in a semi-preparative scale (20∼50 g). The 3,4-BDA mannoside is a convenient precursor for preparation of L-glycero-D-manno-heptose.

Preparation of the Cerebroside Sulfate Activator (CSAct or Saposin B) from Human Urine

The purification of cerebroside sulfate activator (CSAct) or saposin B from pooled human urine is described. Urinary proteins are concentrated by ammonium sulfate precipitation. A suspension of the precipitate is heat-treated and the heat-stable proteins are fractionated through a series of chromatographic steps. An initial concanavalin A column retains little of the CSAct activity, but is important for subsequent purification. Passing the Con A effluent directly onto an octyl Sepharose column removes the protein of interest which is recovered by affinity elution with octyl glucoside. Subsequent ion-exchange and gel filtration chromatographies yield a protein of 80–90% purity, although it is sometimes necessary to repeat one or more steps. A small amount of CSAct can sometimes be recovered from the initial Con A Sepharose column by methyl mannoside elution and purified by a parallel chromatographic protocol. Mass spectral analysis suggests that the final material is a mixture of two major and several minor glycoforms of a 79 amino acid protein with the structure predicted from the human prosaposin cDNA by truncation of both N- and C-terminal regions. Sugar analysis revealed the presence of glucosamine, mannose, and fucose, consistent with the major isoforms bearing a five-sugar Man2GluNac2Fuc or a single GluNac substituent. The human urinary material is similar to the previously characterized pig kidney protein in most respects, but varies in some details.

Interaction between chitosomes and concanavalin A

Abstract Chitosomes, small secretory vesicles with S-value of ca 100 that act as conveyors of proteolytically-activatable chitin synthase (ChS) to its site of action at the cell surface of fungi, display an unusually high affinity for concanavalin A (ConA), if present in a compacted milieu. The outstandingly strong bonding between the lectin and 100 S-ChS established under this condition in all probability results from a superposition of four types of interaction: ‘classical’ lectin recognition, hydrophobic complexation, extended lectin-receptor bridging, and lectin-mediated liposome/liposome aggregation. The following three-step-procedure for the purification of ChS, together with the result of lipo-selective affinity chromatography (AC) of the enzyme on heparin, allowed the identification of a single 60-kDa polypeptide as a UDPGlcNAc transferase with defining enzymic properties of ChS: (i) isolation of gradient-purified chitosomes according to a standard procedure; (ii) ConA-AC of chitosomes to remove non-binding as well as other contaminating proteins that interact with the lectin only at its saccharide binding site; (iii) selective desorption of ChS with digitonin, methyl mannoside or NaCl following dilution of the chitosome-loaded ConA-gel. The results support the notion of a glycoconjugate nature of ChS, provide a means of obtaining homogeneous preparations of ChS for structural and mechanistic analyses as well as for biotechnological applications, throw light on some hitherto unexplained findings encountered using the Scarborough method to label the plasma membrane with ConA, and weaken the experimental basis for the firmly entrenched tenet of the plasma membrane as the only locus operandi of ChS.

Conformational analysis of saccharides with Monte Carlo/stochastic dynamics simulations

Mixed-mode Monte Carlo/stochastic dynamics (MC/SD) simulations, as implemented in macromodel, provide an effective and affordable way of modeling mono- and disaccharides, fully accounting for extra-annular bond flexibility. The simulation parameters were refined using methyl mannoside 1 as a model. Calculations on Man-(α-1,3)-Man-OMe 2 and 3, performed with the AMBER ∗ force field and the GB/SA solvation model, allowed comparison with experimental data, and gave ensemble average interproton distances which were compatible with the reported relative NOE values.

Myeloperoxidase, a catalyst for lipoprotein oxidation, is expressed in human atherosclerotic lesions.

Oxidatively modified lipoproteins have been implicated in atherogenesis, but the mechanisms that promote oxidation in vivo have not been identified. Myeloperoxidase, a heme protein secreted by activated macrophages, generates reactive intermediates that oxidize lipoproteins in vitro. To explore the potential role of myeloperoxidase in the development of atherosclerosis, we determined whether the enzyme was present in surgically excised human vascular tissue. In detergent extracts of atherosclerotic arteries subjected to Western blotting, a rabbit polyclonal antibody monospecific for myeloperoxidase detected a 56-kD protein, the predicted molecular mass of the heavy subunit. Both the immunoreactive protein and authentic myeloperoxidase bound to a lectin-affinity column; after elution with methyl mannoside their apparent molecular masses were indistinguishable by nondenaturing size-exclusion chromatography. Peroxidase activity in detergent extracts of atherosclerotic lesions likewise bound to a lectin column and eluted with methyl mannoside. Moreover, eluted peroxidase generated the cytotoxic oxidant hypochlorous acid (HOCl), indicating that enzymatically active myeloperoxidase was present in lesions. Patterns of immunostaining of arterial tissue with antihuman myeloperoxidase antibodies were similar to those produced by an antimacrophage antibody, and were especially prominent in the shoulder region of transitional lesions. Intense foci of myeloperoxidase immunostaining also appeared adjacent to cholesterol clefts in lipid-rich regions of advanced atherosclerotic lesions. These findings identify myeloperoxidase as a component of human vascular lesions. Because this heme protein can generate reactive species that damage lipids and proteins, myeloperoxidase may contribute to atherogenesis by catalyzing oxidative reactions in the vascular wall.

Partial purification of a boar sperm membrane protein inducing sperm agglutinating antibody

For the development of immunological contraception, attention is being concentrated on the possibility of using a sperm membrane antigen. Boar sperm membrane was extracted with triton-X 100 and fractionated by Sephadex G-150 column chromatography. The glycosylated and nonglycosylated portions of protein peaks from the gel filtration were obtained by fractionating on concanavalin A-Sepharose and eluting the bound protein with 0.3 M methyl mannoside. A glycosylated fraction was found to induce sperm agglutinating antibodies in rabbit. The partially purified protein has a molecular weight of 30 kilodaltons, as determined by sodium dodecyl polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Further work is planned on the histochemical determination of the origin of this protein and species cross-activity of the antibody.

Functional characterization of macrophage receptors for in vitro phagocytosis of unopsonized Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The phagocytic receptor for unopsonized Pseudomonas aeruginosa was characterized functionally using human monocyte-derived macrophages. Freshly isolated human peripheral blood monocytes were unable to ingest unopsonized P. aeruginosa; ingestion did not occur until the cells had been in culture for 2 d and it became maximal after 4 d. Macrophages plated on coverslips derivatized with anti-BSA IgG or with human gamma-globulin lost the capacity to phagocytose unopsonized P. aeruginosa, unopsonized zymosan, and EIgG but bound C3bi-coated erythrocytes normally. Each of the four human IgG subclasses and Fc fragments of anti-BSA IgG inhibited phagocytosis of both unopsonized P. aeruginosa and EIgG. Phagocytosis of P. aeruginosa and zymosan was markedly impaired and EIgG minimally inhibited if macrophages were plated on coverslips derivatized with mannan or when mannan was added to the phagocytosis buffer. Phagocytosis of P. aeruginosa and zymosan, and binding of EC3bi was dependent on the presence of divalent cations, but phagocytosis of EIgG was not. The macrophage phagocytic receptor for unopsonized P. aeruginosa was inactivated by proteolytic enzymes. Phagocytosis of P. aeruginosa was inhibited by D-mannose, L-fucose, and alpha methyl mannoside, but not by L-mannose, D-fucose, or D-glucose. The same sugars inhibited phagocytosis of unopsonized zymosan. We conclude that phagocytosis of unopsonized P. aeruginosa by human monocyte-derived macrophages is facilitated by mannose receptors.

Analysis of Tetrahymena Mucocyst Material with Lectins and Alcian Blue1

ABSTRACT. There are numerous mucocysts in Tetrahymena; however, little is known about their composition, organization, biosynthesis, or function. Mucocysts of Tetrahymena are membrane‐bounded vesicles located at the cell cortex. They are torpedo‐shaped structures (0.9 μm x 0.3 μm) lined up in longitudinal rows along the surface. It is estimated here that each cell contains about 5000 mucocysts. Mucocyst contents are organized in a crystalline manner, but when that material is released by exocytosis, it swells and forms a gel. Using fluorescence microscopy, we demonstrate that mucocysts contain concanavalin A (Con A)‐binding material. First, intracellular fluorescent particles in fixed cells incubated with fluorescein‐derivatized Con A (F‐Con A) have the same distribution, shape, and orientation as mucocysts in living cells. Also, mucocysts were induced to undergo synchronous exocytosis, and the released material formed a capsule around the cell. The capsule was fluorescent after incubation with F‐Con A. In both cases fluorescence was abolished by competition with α methyl mannoside, indicating that Con A is binding specifically to a glycosidic component of the mucocyst. Mucocyst capsules also bind wheat germ agglutinin but not soybean agglutinin, pea lectin, or lentil lectin. Preparations of mucocyst material were analyzed by SDS‐PAGE. Silver stain revealed a high molecular weight band that had not previously been detected by Coomassie blue staining. That band also stained with Alcian blue, indicating that it is a mucopolysaccharide. Finally, that same band was shown to be Con A binding. Thus the Con A‐binding and Alcian blue‐staining properties of mucocysts can be attributed to the same high molecular weight mucopolysaccharide component. This study indicates that it may be possible to purify a specific carbohydrate component of mucocysts which may be helpful in analyzing their function, biogenesis, and structural organization.

Characterization and distribution of invertase activity in developing maize (Zea mays) kernels

Invertase (β‐fructofuranoside fructohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.26) activity in developing maize (Zea mays L. inbred W64A) was separated into soluble and particulate forms. The particulate form was solubilized by treatment with 1 M NaCl or with other salts. However, CaCl2 inhibited invertase activity, and neither detergents nor 0.5 M methyl mannoside were effective in solubilizing the invertase activity. The soluble and particulate invertases were both glycoproteins, both had pH optima of 5.0 and Km values for sucrose of 2.83 and 1.84 mM, respectively. The apparent molecular weight of salt‐solubilized invertase was 40 kDa. Gel filtration of the soluble invertase showed multiple peaks with apparent molecular weights ranging from 750 kDa to over 9 000 kDa. Histochemical staining of cell wall preparations for invertase activity suggested that the particulate invertase is associated with the cell wall. Also, nearly all the invertase activity was localized in the basal endosperm and pedicel tissues, which are sites of sugar transport. No invertase activity was found in the upper endosperm, the embryo or in the placento‐chalazal tissue. In contrast, sucrose synthase (EC 2.4.1.13) activity was found primarily in the embryo and the upper endosperm, which are areas of active biosynthesis of storage compounds.

IGA IS A BILE DUCT GROWTH FACTOR

We have discovered a bile duct growth factor (BDGF) in serum which causes non-neoplastic proliferation of extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) epithelium. BDGF activity was determined after 7 intraperitoneal injections of serum or serum fractions given every other day to BALB/c mice which were dissected for gross and microscopic study of the EHBD. The duct enlargement, up to seven times normal, occurred without luminal obstruction and without other tissue involvement. Early characterization demonstrated that the BDGF was a thermostable protein located in the 33-65% ammonium sulfate (AS) precipitate of serum and susceptible to proteases only after denaturation in 1% SDS. (Hepatology, in press). The active 33-65% AS fraction was chromatographed on a G-75 sephadex column from which the BDGF eluted at a higher molecular mass than albumin. Affinity chromatography utilizing concanavalin A-sepharose or lentil-lectin demonstrated BDGF activity in the methyl mannoside elute, indicating it was a glycoprotein. Since the BDGF was also present in bile as well as breast milk and had many of the properties of IgA, we tested chromatographically purified human IgA for BDGF activity. Isolated IgA (2mg/ml) was as active as whole serum while serum depleted of IgA by affinity chromatography produced no BDGF response. Calf serum was also positive for BDGF but fetal calf serum, naturally devoid of IgA, was negative. The only IgA-containing sera without BDGF activity was BALB/c mouse sera. We conclude, therefore, that heterologous IgA is a growth factor for the EHBD. The mechanism by which heterologous IgA enhances bile duct growth is being explored.