Using affinity chromatography on HPA-, PNA-, Con A, and WGA-agarose columns only a part (10-30%) of the high molecular weight mucous glycoproteins could be isolated from the Triton X-100 solubilized components of normal as well as carcinomatous gastric mucosa. The main part of the mucus was not bound by the lectins, which corresponds to our earlier lectin histochemical observations on paraffin-embedded tissue sections. The lectin-bound mucous glycoproteins had a relatively lower molecular weight, ranging from about 250-1,000 kilodaltons, as indicated by polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis and by gel filtration on Biogel A 1.5 m column. In gas chromatographic analysis the molar ratio of aminohexoses to galactose was found to be much higher (3:1) in the lectin-bound mucous substances than in the whole high molecular weight mucus (1:1). This finding indicates that lectins have a higher affinity to the hexosamine rich components of mucus, which may be special forms of mucous glycoprotein molecules or the incompletely glycosylated core and backbone regions of the oligosaccharide chains of mucus. Extremely high hexosamine values (10:1) were found in the PNA isolated mucus of gastric adenocarcinoma. Since it is known that PNA binds to the terminal disaccharide, beta-galactose-(1-3)-N-acetylgalactosamine, which is localized at the reducing end of the oligosaccharide chains of mucus, it is highly probable that the elongation of the oligosaccharide side chains is disturbed in gastric cancer cells.