Recently it was demonstrated that growth factors are bound to the extracellular matrix, and can regulate cell behavior. Using three different types of binding assays, we have examined the interaction of interferon-gamma with a basement membrane produced by the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm tumor. Basement membrane was found to bind interferon-gamma in both a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Equilibrium binding analysis revealed a high-affinity site with a dissociation constant of 1.5 10(-9) M and a maximum binding capacity of 1.6 10(9) sites/mm2 of basement membrane. Competition studies show that the binding is inhibited by heparan sulfate, suggesting that basement membrane-heparan sulfate proteoglycan could be the binding site. This interaction was clearly confirmed by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and dot-blot analysis with purified basement membrane molecules. Furthermore, the carboxy-terminal part of the interferon-gamma molecule contains an amino acid cluster, very closely related to a consensus sequence, present in more than 20 proteins known to bind sulfated glycosaminoglycans such as heparin. These data demonstrate a possible role of extracellular matrix components in storing cytokines and in modulating the cellular response to such factors.