Two-dimensional electrophoresis of surface glycoproteins of normal BHK cells and ricin resistant mutants

The surface glycoproteins of baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells were iodinated by lactoperoxidase and submitted to a two-dimensional electrophoresis procedure involving isoelectric focusing in the first dimension and SDS gel electrophoresis in the second dimension. After autoradiography a complex but reproducible pattern was obtained. The technique was then applied to the study of three ricin-resistant mutant clones with reduced rates of cell-cell and/or cell-substratum adhesion. Abnormal patterns were observed in all three mutant clones indicating different mechanisms of ricin resistance and identifying glycoproteins which may be involved in cellular interactions.