Qualitative and quantitative analyses of glutathione, glutathione transferases (GSTs) and other glutathione-linked enzymes in HeLa cells have been made in order to study their significance in cellular resistance to electrophilic cytotoxic agents. The cytosolic concentrations of three GSTs, GST M1-1 (53 +/- 9 ng/mg of cytosolic protein), GST P1-1 (11 +/- 3 ng/mg) and GST A1-1 (1.1 +/- 0.4 ng/mg) were quantified by isoenzyme-specific enzyme-linked immunoassays. Electrophoretic analysis and immunoblotting demonstrated another component, GST M3-3, which was identified by amino acid sequence analysis. GST M3-3 was quantified (1550 +/- 250 ng/mg) by slot-blot immunoanalysis and was the most abundant GST in HeLa cells. An additional cytosolic 13 kDa protein with high affinity for immobilized glutathione or S-hexyglutathione was found to be identical with a macrophage migration-inhibitory factor, previously identified as a lymphokine. Cells grown in roller bottles (HR) rather than in ordinary culture flasks contain a significantly lower concentration of all the GSTs and were found to be more sensitive to the cytostatic agents doxorubicin (2.3-fold), cisplatin (1.7-fold) and melphalan (1.4-fold). The cytosolic concentrations of glutathione reductase and glyoxalase I were also lower in HR cells, whereas the total glutathione concentration was unchanged and the glutathione peroxidase activity was increased. The results indicate that GSTs contribute to the cellular resistance phenotype.