Structural characterization of multibranched oligosaccharides from seal milk by a combination of off-line high-performance liquid chromatography-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and sequential exoglycosidase digestion

A complex mixture of diverse oligosaccharides related to the carbohydrates in glycoconjugates involved in various biological events is found in animal milk/colostrum and has been challenging targets for separation and structural studies. In the current study, we isolated oligosaccharides having high molecular masses (MW ∼ 3800) from the milk samples of bearded and hooded seals and analyzed their structures by off-line normal-phase-high-performance liquid chromatography-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight (NP-HPLC-MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) by combination with sequential exoglycosidase digestion. Initially, a mixture of oligosaccharides from the seal milk was reductively aminated with 2-aminobenzoic acid and analyzed by a combination of HPLC and MALDI-TOF MS. From MS data, these oligosaccharides contained different numbers of lactosamine units attached to the nonreducing lactose (Galβ1-4Glc) and fucose residue. The isolated oligosaccharides were sequentially digested with exoglycosidases and characterized by MALDI-TOF MS. The data revealed that oligosaccharides from both seal species were composed from lacto-N-neohexaose (LNnH, Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-6[Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-3]Galβ1-4Glc) as the common core structure, and most of them contained Fucα1-2 residues at the nonreducing ends. Furthermore, the oligosaccharides from both samples contained multibranched oligosaccharides having two Galβ1-4GlcNAc (N-acetyllactosamine, LacNAc) residues on the Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-3 branch or both branches of LNnH. Elongation of the chains was observed at 3-OH positions of Gal residues, but most of the internal Gal residues were also substituted with an N-acetyllactosamine at the 6-OH position.     

Isolation of reducing oligosaccharide chains from the chondroitin/dermatan sulfate-protein linkage region and preparation of analytical probes by fluorescent labeling with 2-aminobenzamide

The glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-protein linkage regions of various proteoglycans share the common tetrasaccharide GlcA-Gal-Gal-Xyl-attached to Ser residues in the core proteins. In previous analysis we demonstrated unique modifications by epimerization, sulfation and phosphorylation of the component sugars. Here we developed a sensitive analytical method for the linkage region oligosaccharides to detect or monitor structural variations and changes. This will be useful for investigation of their biological roles, which are largely unknown, but they have been implicated in biosynthesis. A variety of linkage region-derived hexasaccharides was first prepared as reducing sugar chains from peptide chondroitin/dermatan sulfate of whale cartilage, shark cartilage, and bovine aorta by means of chondroitinase digestion in conjunction with beta-elimination in the absence of reducing reagents, but involving a mild alkali, 0.5 M LiOH, at 4 degrees C to prevent peeling reactions. The structures of these oligosaccharides were determined by the combination of HPLC, enzymatic digestion, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, and (1)H NMR spectroscopy, which revealed eleven different hexasaccharides including a novel structure, DeltaHexAalpha1-3GalNAcbeta1-4IdoAalpha1-3Gal(4-O-sulfate)beta1-3Galbeta1-4Xyl (DeltaHexA and IdoA represent unsaturated hexuronic acid and L-iduronic acid, respectively). These oligosaccharides were labeled with a fluorophore, 2-aminobenzamide, to prepare analytical probes using the recently developed procedure [Kinoshita and Sugahara (1999) Anal. Biochem. 269, 367-378]. The fluorophore-tagged hexasacharides of low picomoles were well separated by HPLC and successfully analyzed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The principle of the method should be applicable to the analysis of the linkage region oligosaccharides derived from heparin and heparan sulfate as well.     

A high-throughput microscale method to release N-linked oligosaccharides from glycoproteins for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometric analysis

This report describes a convenient method for the rapid and efficient release of N-linked oligosaccharides from low microgram amounts of glycoproteins. A 96-well MultiScreen assay system containing a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane is employed to immobilize glycoproteins for subsequent enzymatic deglycosylation. Recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is used to demonstrate the deglycosylation of 0.1-50 micrograms of a glycoprotein. This method enabled the recovery of a sufficient amount of N-linked oligosaccharides released enzymatically with peptide N-glycosidase F (PNGaseF) from as little as 0.5 microgram rt-PA for subsequent analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI- TOF) mass spectrometry. The immobilization of rt-PA to the PVDF membrane did not sterically inhibit the PNGaseF-mediated release of oligosaccharides from rt-PA as determined by tryptic mapping experiments. Comparison of the oligosaccharides released from 50 micrograms of rt-PA by either the 96-well plate method or by a standard solution digestion procedure showed no significant differences in the profiles obtained by high-pH anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD). Both neutral and sialylated oligosaccharide standards spiked into wells were recovered equally as determined by HPAEC-PAD. One advantage of this approach is that reduction and alkylation can be performed on submicrogram amounts of glycoproteins with easy removal of reagents prior to PNGaseF digestion. In addition, this method allows 60 glycoprotein samples to be deglycosylated in 1 day with MALDI-TOF or HPAEC-PAD analysis being performed on the following day.      

Determination of anti-HIV drug concentration in human plasma by MALDI-TOF/TOF

The antiretroviral therapeutic drug monitoring is becoming increased in clinical care to determine the best dosage regimen adapted to each patient. Here, the determination of the anti-HIV drugs lamivudine, lopinavir, and ritonavir concentration in the plasma of HIV-infected patients by MALDI-TOF/TOF is reported. The volume of the plasma sample was 600 microL. Plasma samples were extracted by solid-phase (divinylbenzene and N-vinylpyrrolidone) and evaporated in a water bath under a nitrogen stream. The extracted samples were reconstituted with methanol (100 microL), mixed (1:1) with a saturated matrix solution (4-hydroxybenzoic acid in 50% acetonitrile-0.1% trifluoracetic acid), and spotted onto the MALDI-TOF/TOF sample target plate. The lamivudine, lopinavir and ritonavir concentration was determined by standard additions analysis. Regression of standard additions was linear over the anti-HIV drug concentration ranges explored (lamivudine, 0.010-1.0 pmol/microL; lopinavir and ritonavir, 0.0025-0.50 pmol/microL). Moreover, emtricitabine (i.e., the fluorinated analog of lamivudine) was used as the internal standard to determine the lamivudine concentration. The calibration curve was linear on the emtricitabine concentration ranging between 0.050 and 5.0 pmol/microL. The absolute recovery ranged between 80 and 110%. Values of the lamivudine, lopinavir and ritonavir concentration determined by MALDI-TOF/TOF are in excellent agreement with those obtained by HPLC-UV and HPLC-MS/MS. MALDI-TOF/TOF experiments allowed also the detection of the ritonavir metabolite R5. Zidovudine was undetectable by MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis because also the minimal laser intensity may induce the anti-HIV drug photolysis. The MALDI-TOF/TOF technique is useful to determine very low concentrations of anti-HIV drugs (0.0025-0.010 pmol/microL).     

Structural analyses of two arabinose containing oligosaccharides derived from olive fruit xyloglucan: XXSG and XLSG

Xyloglucan oligosaccharides were prepared by endo-(1-->4)-beta-D-glucanase digestion of alkali-extractable xyloglucan from olive fruit and purified by a combination of gel-permeation (Bio-Gel P-2) chromatography and high-performance anion-exchange chromatography. The two most abundant oligosaccharides were converted to the corresponding oligoglycosyl alditols by borohydride reduction and structurally characterised by NMR spectroscopy and post-source decay (PSD) fragment analysis of matrix-assisted laserinduced desorption/ionisation time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectra. The results revealed that olive fruit xyloglucan is mainly built from two novel oligosaccharides: XXSG and XLSG. The structure of the oligosaccharides confirmed the presence of a specific xyloglucan in olive fruit with alpha-L-Araf-(1-->2)-alpha-D-Xylp sidechains as was suggested previously. The presence of such sidechains is a common feature of xyloglucans with an XXGG core produced by solanaceous plants but has not been demonstrated for other dicotyledonous plants, which have in general an XXXG core. Direct treatment of cell wall material from olive fruit with pectin degrading enzymes in combination with endo-(1-->4)-beta-D-glucanase revealed that some of the arabinose residues of the oligosaccharides XXSG and XLSG are substituted with either 1 or 2 O-acetyl groups.     

Structural characterization of fucose-containing oligosaccharides by high-performance liquid chromatography and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Eight pyridylamino (PA) derivatives of fucose-containing oligosaccharides, which occur as free oligosaccharides in human milk and also are derived from glycosphingolipids, have been analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on normal-phase and reversed-phase columns, and by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Six out of eight PA-oligosaccharides were clearly separated by both normal- and reversed-phase HPLC at a column temperature of 40 degrees C, but two PA-oligosaccharides, lacto-N-fucopentaose II [Gal beta1-3(Fuc alpha1-4)GlcNAc beta1-3Gal beta1-4GIcPA] and lacto-N-fucopentaose III [Gal beta1-4(Fuc alpha1-3)GlcNAc beta1-3Gal beta1-4GIcPA], were not separated. The two unresolved PA-oligosaccharides were finally separated by reversed-phase HPLC at a column temperature of 11 degrees C. MALDI-TOF mass spectra of PA-oligosaccharides demonstrated pseudo-molecular ions as the predominant signals, therefore information about the molecular mass of each PA-oligosaccharide was easily obtained. Post-source decay (PSD) MALDI-TOF mass spectra of PA-oligosaccharides gave information about the carbohydrate sequences and carbohydrate species of each PA-oligosaccharide by detecting the ions responsible for the cleavage of the glycosidic bonds. The detection limits of the PA-oligosaccharides by HPLC, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and PSD MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry were 20 fmol, 20 fmol, and 2 pmol, respectively. These results suggest that a system including HPLC and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry or HPLC and PSD MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry is quite useful for the structural characterization of sub-pmol or pmol levels of fucose-containing oligosaccharides, and that these methods could be used for the analysis of various types of oligosaccharides derived from glycoproteins and glycosphingolipids.     

The occurrence of internal (1 --> 5)-linked arabinofuranose and arabinopyranose residues in arabinogalactan side chains from soybean pectic substances

CDTA-extractable soybean pectic substances were subjected to enzymatic digestion with arabinogalactan degrading enzymes yielding a resistant polymeric pectic backbone and arabino-, galacto-, and arabinogalacto-oligomers. The complex digest was fractionated using size-exclusion chromatography. Monosaccharide composition analysis, HPAEC fractionation and MALDI-TOF MS analysis of the resulting fractions showed that each contained a mixture of oligosaccharides of essentially the same degree of polymerisation, composed of only arabinose and galactose. MALDI-TOF MS analysis was used for molecular mass screening of oligosaccharides in underivatised HPAEC fractions. The monosaccharide sequence and the branching pattern of oligosaccharides (degree of polymerisation from 4 to 8) were determined using linkage analysis and ES-CID tandem MS analysis of the per-O-methylated oligosaccharides in each of the HPAEC fractions. These analyses indicated the presence of common linear (1 --> 4)-linked galacto-oligosaccharides, and both linear and branched arabino-oligosaccharides. In addition, the results unambiguously showed the presence of oligosaccharides containing (1 --> 4)-linked galactose residues bearing an arabinopyranose residue as the non-reducing terminal residue, and a mixture of linear oligosaccharides constructed of (1 --> 4)-linked galactose residues interspersed with an internal (1 --> 5)-linked arabinofuranose residue. The consequences of these two new structural features of pectic arabinogalactan side chains are discussed.     

Detection of protein modifications and counterfeit protein pharmaceuticals using isotope tags for relative and absolute quantification and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry: studies of insulins

Isotope tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) reagent coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF/TOF) mass spectrometric analysis has been evaluated as both a qualitative and quantitative method for the detection of modifications to active pharmaceutical ingredients derived from recombinant DNA technologies and as a method to detect counterfeit drug products. Five types of insulin (human, bovine, porcine, Lispro, and Lantus) were used as model products in the study because of their minor variations in amino acid sequence. Several experiments were conducted in which each insulin variant was separately digested with Glu-C, and the digestate was labeled with one of four different iTRAQ reagents. All digestates were then combined for desalting and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometric analysis. When the digestion procedure was optimized, the insulin sequence coverage was 100%. Five different types of insulin were readily differentiated, including human insulin (P28K29) and Lispro insulin (K28P29), which differ only by the interchange of two contiguous residues. Moreover, quantitative analyses show that the results obtained from the iTRAQ method agree well with those determined by other conventional methods. Collectively, the iTRAQ method can be used as a qualitative and quantitative technique for the detection of protein modification and counterfeiting.     

Specificity of monoclonal antibodies generated against arabinoxylans of cereal grains

Xylooligosaccharides substituted by arabinose have been produced by degradation of wheat flour arabinoxylans with an endoxylanase. These oligosaccharides were coupled to carrier proteins (KLH and BSA) and three monoclonal antibodies were isolated. The specificity of antibody recognition was studied using arabino-xylo-oligosaccharides exhibiting different pattern of substitution by arabinose.

ELISA competition tests and molecular modelling suggest that the conformation adopted by beta-(1→4) linked xylose residues is an antigenic determinant recognized by the different antibodies. Arabinose was not specifically involved in the interaction of antibody and epitope.     

Cartilage degradation by hyaluronate lyase and chondroitin ABC lyase: a MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric study

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been used to investigate degradation products of two selected polysaccharides of cartilage (chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid). Testicular hyaluronate lyase and chondroitin ABC lyase were used for enzymic digestion of both polysaccharides as well as of cartilage specimens. Polysaccharide solutions and cartilage supernatants were assayed by positive and negative MALDI-TOF MS. Especially chondroitin ABC lyase produced high amounts of digestion products (unsaturated di- and tetrasaccharides) from polysaccharides as well as from cartilage, clearly monitored by MALDI-TOF MS. It is concluded that MALDI-TOF MS provides a precise and fast tool for the determination of oligosaccharides since no previous derivatization is required.     

An analytical system for the characterization of highly heterogeneous mixtures of N-linked oligosaccharides

A novel system for characterizing complex N-linked oligosaccharide mixtures that uses a combination of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), capillary electrophoresis (CE), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed. In this study, oligosaccharides released from recombinant TNK-tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) were derivatized with 5-amino-2-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANSA). The negative charge imparted by the ANSA label facilitated the analysis of the oligosaccharides by MALDI-TOF MS by allowing the observation of both neutral and sialylated oligosaccharides in a single negative ion mode spectrum. Labeling with ANSA was also determined to be advantageous in the characterization of oligosaccharides by both HPLC and CE. The ANSA label was demonstrated to provide superior resolution over the commonly used label 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (APTS) in both the CE and HPLC analysis of oligosaccharides. To date, no other labels that enable the analysis of complex oligosaccharide mixtures in a single mass spectral mode, while also enabling high-resolution chromatographic and electrophoretic separation of the oligosaccharides, have been reported. By integrating the structural information obtained by MALDI-TOF MS analysis with the ability of CE and HPLC to discriminate between structural isomers, the complete characterization of complex oligosaccharide mixtures is possible.     

A combined strategy for glycan profiling: a model study with pyridylaminated oligosaccharides

Structural glycomics plays a fundamental role in glycoscience and glycotechnology. In this paper, a novel strategy for the structural characterization of glycans is described, in which MS2 analysis involving a LIFT-TOF/TOF procedure is combined with frontal affinity chromatography (FAC). As model compounds, 20 neutral pyridylaminated (PA) oligosaccharides were chosen, which included four groups of structural isomers differing in sequence, linkage, position, or branching features. By depicting significant diagnostic ions on MS2, most of the analyzed oligosaccharides were successfully differentiated, while two pairs of linkage isomers, i.e., LNT/LNnT, and LNH/LNnH were not. For subsequent analysis by FAC, 14 lectins showing significant affinity to either LNT (type 1) or LNnT (type 2) were screened, and a galectin from the marine sponge Geodia cydonium (GC1) and a plant seed lectin from Ricinus communis (RCA-I) were used for determination of type 1 and 2 chains, respectively. With these specific probes, both of the isomeric pairs were unambiguously differentiated. Furthermore, a pair of triantennary, asparagine-linked oligosaccharide isomers could also be successfully differentiated. Thus, the combination of MS2 and FAC is a practical alternative for the structural characterization of complex glycans.     

Towards GAG glycomics: analysis of highly sulfated heparins by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

Glycomics is a developing field that provides structural information on complex populations of glycans isolated from tissues, cells and organs. Strategies employing matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) are central to glycomic analysis. Current MALDI-based glycomic strategies are capable of efficiently analyzing glycoprotein and glycosphingolipid glycomes but little attention has been paid to devising glycomic methodologies suited to the analysis of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) polysaccharides which pose special problems for MALDI analysis because of their high level of sulfation and large size. In this paper, we describe MALDI strategies that have been optimized for the analysis of highly sulfated GAG-derived oligosaccharides. A crystalline matrix norharmane, as well as an ionic liquid 1-methylimidazolium alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate (ImCHCA), have been used for the analysis of heparin di-, tetra-, hexa- and decasaccharides carrying from 2 to 13 sulfate groups. Information about the maximum number of sulfate groups is obtained using the ionic liquid whereas MALDI-TOF/TOF MS/MS experiments using norharmane allowed the determination of the nature of the glycosidic backbone, and more precise information about the presence and the position in the sequence of N-acetylated residues.     

Structural characterization of N-linked oligosaccharides on monoclonal antibody cetuximab by the combination of orthogonal matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization hybrid quadrupole-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry and sequential enzymatic digestion

Cetuximab is a novel therapeutic monoclonal antibody with two N-glycosylation sites: a conserved site in the CH2 domain and a second site within the framework 3 of the variable portion of the heavy chain. The detailed structures of these oligosaccharides were successfully characterized using orthogonal matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization hybrid quadrupole-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (oMALDI Qq-TOF MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in combination with exoglycosidase digestion. The N-linked oligosaccharides were released by treatment with N-glycanase F, reductively aminated with anthranilic acid, and fractionated by normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography (NP-HPLC). The fluorescent-labeled oligosaccharide pool and fractions were analyzed by oMALDI Qq-TOF MS and MS/MS in negative ion mode. Each fraction was further digested with an array of exoglycosidase mixtures, and subsequent MALDI TOF MS analysis of the resulting products yielded information about structural features of the oligosaccharide. The combined data revealed the presence of 21 distinct oligosaccharide structures in cetuximab. These oligosaccharides differ mainly in degree of sialylation with N-glycolyl neuraminic acid and extent of galactosylation (zero-, mono-, di-, and alpha(1-3)-galactosidase). The individual oligosaccharides were further assigned to the specific sites in the Fab and Fc regions of the antibody. This study represents a unique approach in that MS/MS data were used to identify and confirm the oligosaccharide structures of a protein.     

The alterations of mouse plasma proteins during septic development

A fundamental issue for sepsis therapy is to control the development of inflammation at an early stage. With cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) surgery, the mouse model has clearly shown the septic signs triggered by chronic insult. To monitor the plasma proteomic responses to sepsis, the mouse blood was collected at intervals after sham and CLP surgery followed by the sample treatment to remove high abundance serum albumin. The treated mouse plasma proteins were well resolved by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). The image analysis revealed that these 2-DE spots observed from the sham and the CLP samples 4 h after surgery were comparable, whereas more than 30 different spots appeared on the 2-DE gels between the sham and CLP mouse plasma 24 h after surgery, indicating that some plasma proteins responded to the inflammatory development. These differential spots were verified by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS, resulting in 13 unique sepsis-responsive proteins. More importantly, most of them exhibited multiple spots as difference on the 2-DE gels. Furthermore, these isospots were incubated with PNGase F to eliminate N-linked oligosaccharides on proteins and then evaluated by Western blot as well as mass spectrometry. The results of PNGase F digestion suggested that most sepsis-associated proteins remained in N-glycosylation status but changed their N-glycans during septic development.     

Structural studies of sialylated oligosaccharides of human midcycle cervical mucin

It was previously shown that reductive alkali treatment of purified human cervical mucin releases a heterogeneous population of reduced neutral, sialylated, and sulfated oligosaccharides (Yurewicz, E. C., and Moghissi, K. S. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 11895-11904). Four major sialylated oligosaccharide fractions were isolated with approximate compositions of Fuc:GlcNac:Gal:NeuAc:N-acetylgalactosaminitol (GalNAcol) = 0:0:0:1:1 (B1a), 0:0:1:1:1 (B2b), 0:1:2:1:1 (B3a), and 1:1:2:1:1 (B4a), where Fuc is fucose. They comprised roughly 3, 11, 7, and 6% of recovered oligosaccharide chains, respectively. On the basis of periodate oxidations, methylation analyses, and sequential degradations with glycosidases, the following structures were determined. (Formula: see text) Oligosaccharides 1 and 2 are characterized by the presence of N-acetylneuraminic acid in alpha 2,6-linkage to N-acetylgalactosaminitol. The remaining oligosaccharides contain N-acetylneuraminic acid in alpha 2,3-linkage to galactose residues. Oligosaccharides 3 and 4 and oligosaccharides 5 and 6 were isolated as unresolved isomeric mixtures in fractions B3a and B4a, respectively. Oligosaccharides 3 and 4 were distinguished on the basis of susceptibility to digestion with Aspergillus niger beta-galactosidase whereas oligosaccharides 5 and 6 were distinguished on the basis of differential rates of digestion with beef kidney alpha-fucosidase. The structural data indicate the presence of at least two sialyltransferases in human cervical epithelium and further suggest a potential physiologically significant competition between sialyltransferase and beta-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase for C-6 of the N-acetylgalactosamine residue O-glycosidically linked to serine/threonine of the polypeptide core.     

Hydrolysis of wheat bran and straw by an endoxylanase: production and structural characterization of cinnamoyl-oligosaccharides.

Hydrolysis of wheat bran and wheat straw by a 20.7 kDa thermostable endoxylanase released 35 and 18% of the cell-wall xylan content, respectively. Separation of the cinnamoyl-oligosaccharides (accounting for 6%) from the bulk of total oligosaccharides was achieved by specific anion-exchange chromatography. The cinnamoyl-oligosaccharides were further purified by preparative paper chromatography (PPC) and their molecular weight was determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The partially purified hydrolysis end-products contained from 4 to 16 and from 4 to 12 pentose residues for wheat bran and straw, respectively, and only one cinnamic acid per molecule. The primary structure of the new feruloyl arabinoxylopentasaccharide from wheat bran hydrolysis, which has been determined using 2D NMR spectroscopy, is O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->4)-O-[5-O- (feruloyl)-alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl-(1-->3)]-O-beta-D-xylopyranosy l-(1-->4) -O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->4)-D-xylopyranose.     

Characterization of N-linked oligosaccharides in chorion peroxidase of Aedes aegypti mosquito

A peroxidase is present in the chorion of Aedes aegypti eggs and catalyzes chorion protein cross-linking during chorion hardening, which is critical for egg survival in the environment. The unique chorion peroxidase (CPO) is a glycoprotein. This study deals with the N-glycosylation site, structures, and profile of CPO-associated oligosaccharides using mass spectrometric techniques and enzymatic digestion. CPO was isolated from chorion by solubilization and several chromatographic methods. Mono-saccharide composition was analyzed by HPLC with fluorescent detection. Our data revealed that carbohydrate (D-mannose, N-acetyl D-glucosamine, D-arabinose, N-acetyl D-galactosamine, and L-fucose) accounted for 2.24% of the CPO molecular weight. A single N-glycosylation site (Asn328-Cys- Thr) was identified by tryptic peptide mapping and de novo sequencing of native and PNGase A-deglycosylated CPO using matrix-assisted laser/desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI/TOF/MS) and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The Asn328 was proven to be a major fully glycosylated site. Potential tryptic glycopeptides and profile were first assessed by MALDI/TOF/MS and then by precursor ion scanning during LC/MS/MS. The structures of N-linked oligosaccharides were elucidated from the MS/MS spectra of glycopeptides and exoglycosidase sequencing of PNGase A-released oligosaccharides. These CPO-associated oligosaccharides had dominant Man3GlcNAc2 and Man3 (Fuc) GlcNAc2 and high mannose-type structures (Man(4-8)GlcNAc2). The truncated structures, Man2GlcNAc2 and Man2 (Fuc) GlcNAc2, were also identified. Comparison of CPO activity and Stokes radius between native and deglycosylated CPO suggests that the N-linked oligosaccharides influence the enzyme activity by stabilizing its folded state.     

Experimental evaluation of protein identification by an LC/MALDI/on-target digestion approach

Tryptic digestion of proteins continues to be a workhorse of proteomics. Traditional tryptic digestion requires several hours to generate an adequate protein digest. A number of enhanced accelerated digestion protocols have been developed in recent years. Nonetheless, a need still exists for new digestion strategies that meet the demands of proteomics for high-throughput and rapid detection and identification of proteins. We performed an evaluation of direct tryptic digestion of proteins on a MALDI target plate and the potential for integrating RP HPLC separation of protein with on-target tryptic digestion in order to achieve a rapid and effective identification of proteins in complex biological samples. To this end, we used a Tempo HPLC/MALDI target plate deposition hybrid instrument (ABI). The technique was evaluated using a number of soluble and membrane proteins and an MRC5 cell lysate. We demonstrated that direct deposition of proteins on a MALDI target plate after reverse-phase HPLC separation and subsequent tryptic digestion of the proteins on the target followed by MALDI TOF/TOF analysis provided substantial data (intact protein mass, peptide mass and peptide fragment mass) that allowed a rapid and unambiguous identification of proteins. The rapid protein separation and direct deposition of fractions on a MALDI target plate provided by the RP HPLC combined with off-line interfacing with the MALDI MS is a unique platform for rapid protein identification with improved sequence coverage. This simple and robust approach significantly reduces the sample handling and potential loss in large-scale proteomics experiments. This approach allows combination of peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF), MS/MS peptide fragment fingerprinting (PPF) and whole protein MS for both protein identification and structural analysis of proteins.     

Calculated two-dimensional sugar map of pyridylaminated oligosaccharides: elucidation of the jack bean alpha-mannosidase digestion pathway of Man9GlcNAc2

We have developed a two-dimensional (2-D) mapping of pyridylaminated oligosaccharides as an aid to structural determination of glycoprotein-derived oligosaccharides. Using the available data of reverse-phase HPLC of pyridylamino-oligosaccharides, this was further extended to parameterization of unit contribution by each sugar component, which allows the prediction of possible structures from the elution volume. We have extended this approach to the data obtained with amide-silica HPLC column to obtain a calculated 2-D mapping technique for the oligomannose-type oligosaccharides (M-series). In this method, the elution volumes of all possible pyridylamino-oligosaccharides up to the size of Glc1Man9GlcNAc2 (50 in total) are calculated from the established UC values to construct a 2-D map. To test the validity of the calculated 2-D map, the structures of intermediate PA-oligosaccharides generated during the alpha-mannosidase (jack bean) digestion of Man9GlcNAc2 (porcine thyroglobulin) were analyzed to establish the digestion pathway. The validity of this approach is substantiated by an independent deduction of the intermediate structures based on structural relationships and the coincidence of elution volumes. Our results agree well with the recently published digestion pathway of Man5GlcNAc2 by the same enzyme and that of Man9GlcNAc2 by lysosomal alpha-mannosidase.