DETECTION OF LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-BINDING PROTEINS ON MEMBRANES OF MURINE LYMPHOCYTE AND MACROPHAGE-LIKE CELL-LINES

Lipopolysaccharide-(LPS) binding proteins present on murine-lymphocyte and macrophage-like cell lines were identified by a ligand-blotting method and subsequent immunological detection of bound LPS. Membrane proteins of the murine-pre-B-cell line 70Z/3 were separated by SDS-PAGE, transferred electrophoretically onto nitrocellulose, and the blot was incubated with LPS of the Salmonella minnesota Re-mutant R595 (mRe-LPS). LPS bound to proteins on nitrocellulose was immunologically detected by anti-mRe-LPS antibodies; LPS was associated with one of the membrane proteins of 70Z/3 cells. This protein was 40 kDa under reducing and 45 kDa under non-reducing conditions, respectively. Treatment of 70Z/3 cells with pronase led to the disappearance of the LPS-binding protein indicating its surface location. Excess free lipid A, which represents the biologically active region of LPS, inhibited the binding of mRe-LPS to the protein. This LPS-binding protein was also identified on the pre-B-cell line CYG8, the B-cell line CYG101 and the murine-T-cell line BW5147. It was, however, not detectable on the B-cell line CYG34 and the myeloma-cell line P3-X63-Ag8.653. No other LPS-binding protein could be detected on these cell lines. In the murine-macrophage-like cell line J774.1, two LPS-binding proteins, one of 40 kDa and one of 80 kDa, were detected. These results indicate that mRe-LPS is specifically bound to a 40-kDa protein of lymphocytes, whereas in the case of macrophages it is associated with two LPS-binding proteins of 40 and 80 kDa.