Characterization and comparison of the major glycoprotein from three strains of Rous sarcoma virus.

The major glycoprotein g2 was purified from three strains of Rous sarcoma virus, representing subgroups A, B, and C. Carbohydrate analysis showed that glucosamine, mannose, galactose, fucose and sialic acid constitute 40% of the weight of the subgroup A glycoprotein and 15% of the subgroup B and C glycoproteins. The molar ratios of sugars were very similar and amino acid compositions were similar but not identical for the three glycoproteins. Glycosidase digestions of subgroup A and C glycoproteins suggested the presence of two types of oligosaccharide chains, the complex serum type, with terminal sequences sialic acidα-Galβ-GlcNAcβ- and the high mannose type with terminal α-linked mannosyl residues. After removal of 70% of the carbohydrate by glycosidases, subgroup A glycoprotein contained only glucosamine and mannose, in the molar ratio 2.0:1.3. The sequence of sugar release was consistent with oligosaccharide structures such as those which have been described for other glycoproteins. The plant lectins concanavalin A and wheat germ agglutinin were shown to interact strongly with the g2 glycoprotein from viruses of all three subgroups.     

The oligosaccharide units of rabbit immunoglobulin G. Multiple carbohydrate attachment sites

The carbohydrate structure of rabbit immunoglobulin G isolated from pooled sera was investigated. Amino sugar analysis of fragments of the molecule allowed three oligosaccharides to be located at separate sites on the H-chain. The corresponding glycopeptides were isolated. The average composition of the C1-oligosaccharide was 2 glucosamine, 1 mannose and 2 galactose residues. It appeared to be present in approx. 15% of the H-chains; the carbohydrate was coupled through the amide group of asparagine in a peptide containing asparagine, glycine and threonine within the Fd fragment of the molecule. The average composition of the C2-oligosaccharide was 1 galactosamine, 1 galactose and either 1 or 2 sialic acid residues. It was present on approx. 40% of the H-chains and was attached glycosidically to the OH group of threonine in a peptide Ser-Lys-Pro-Thr-Cys-Pro-Pro-Glu-Leu in the hinge region of the molecule. The average composition of the C3-oligosaccharide was 5 glucosamine, 2 galactose, 5 mannose, 1 fucose and 1 sialic acid residue. It appeared to be present in all the H-chains and was linked through the amide group of asparagine in a peptide Gln-Gln-Phe-Asn-Ser-Thr-Ile-Arg within the Fc fragment of the molecule.     

Structure of the complex oligosaccharides of fetuin.

The complete structure of the complex oligosaccharides of fetuin has been established. The three fractions of complex oligosaccharide which were isolated by ion exchange chromatography following pronase digestion (F-I, F-II, and F-III) had identical molar ratios of sialic acid (Sia), galactose, mannose, and N-acetylglucosamine of 3:3:3:5. A combination of methylation analyses, Smith periodate degradations, and endoglycosidase and exoglycosidase digestions were utilized to establish the structure which is proposed to be: (see article of journal). Features of this structure not previously established include the presence of 2 residues of alpha2,3- and 1 residue of alpha2,6-linked sialic acid and their location relative to the mannose branch points. Also unusual is the presence of an alpha-linked branch mannose with substituents at positions 2 and 4 which is in turn linked to position 6 of the beta-linked, branch mannose. These features result in unexpected resistance to specific exoglycosidases.     

The oligosaccharide units of a human type L immunoglobulin M (macroglobulin)

1. The carbohydrate composition of the monomeric unit of a type L macroglobulin (immunoglobulin M) was determined as 6 residues of fucose, 35 of mannose, 11 of galactose, 27 of N-acetylglucosamine and 9 of sialic acid. 2. Two types of oligosaccharide unit were present in the protein, one of which (Ca type) contained fucose, mannose, galactose, N-acetylglucosamine and sialic acid in the molar proportions 1:3-4:2:3-5:0-2, and the other (Cb type) contained mannose and N-acetylglucosamine in the proportions 6-8:2-3. 3. A tentative structure is proposed for the Cb type unit. 4. An S-carboxymethylcysteine-containing glycopeptide with a Ca-type unit was isolated after reduction, alkylation and tryptic digestion of the protein. 5. The immunoglobulin monomer appears to contain six oligosaccharide units of the Ca type and two of the Cb type.     

Carbohydrate structures of HVJ (Sendai virus) glycoproteins

The carbohydrate structures of two membrane glycoproteins (HANA protein and F protein) of HVJ have been determined on materials purified from virions grown in the allantoic sac of embryonated chicken eggs. Both glycoproteins contain fucose, mannose, galactose, and glucosamine but not galactosamine, indicating that their sugar chains are exclusively of the asparagine-linked type. The radioactive oligosaccharide fractions obtained from the two glycoproteins by hydrazinolysis followed by NaB[3H]4 reduction gave quite distinct fractionation patterns after paper electrophoresis. More than 75% of the oligosaccharides from F protein were acidic and separated into at least four components by paper electrophoresis. Only 18% of the oligosaccharide from HANA protein was an acidic single component. These acidic oligosaccharides could not be converted to neutral oligosaccharides by sialidase digestion. Structural studies of the neutral oligosaccharide fractions from HANA and F proteins revealed that both of them are mixtures of a series of high mannose type oligosaccharides and of complex type oligosaccharides with Gal beta 1 leads to (Fuc alpha 1 leads to 3) GlcNAc group in their outer chain moieties.     

The carbohydrate components of hydrolysates of gastric secretion and extracts from mucous glands of the gastric body mucosa and antrum

1. The sugars and amino sugars of hydrolysates of gastric secretion were determined by gas-liquid chromatography. 2. All the gastric aspirations examined showed on hydrolysis the presence of fucose, galactose, mannose, glucose, galactosamine, glucosamine, N-acetylneuraminic acid and sulphate. 3. Galactose and glucosamine were always found in equimolar amounts, but the galactose/galactosamine ratio in different aspirations was 2:1, 3:1, 4:1 or 5:1. Repeated gastric aspirations of each subject examined showed constant ratios of these carbohydrate components. 4. Fucose and sialic acid appear to be related to glucosamine and galactosamine respectively. 5. The carbohydrate components of extracts from the mucous glands of the body mucosa and antrum did not differ from those of gastric secretion.     

Lipid-linked oligosaccharides containing glucose in lactating rabbit mammary gland.

1. Microsomal fractions of lactating rabbit mammary gland incubated with UDP-glucose formed lipid-linked mono- and oligo-saccharides. The lipid-linked monosaccharide had chromatographic properties similar to those of dolichol phosphate mannose and yielded glucose on acid hydrolysis. 2. Incubation of the microsomal fraction with GDP-[U14C]-mannose yielded an oligosaccharide lipid of approximately seven monosaccharide units. Further incubation with UDP-glucose increased the size of the oligosaccharide by approximately two units. 3. Explants of lactating rabbit mammary gland incorporated [U-14C]glucose into both lipid-linked mono- and oligo-saccharides. The oligosaccharide lipid was of approx. 11 monosaccharide units. 4. Considerable redistribution of radioactive label occurred in the explant system, and radioactively labelled glucosamine and mannose, as well as glucose, were detected on acid hydrolysis of the oligosaccharide lipid. 5. Glucose was also detected in the acid hydrolysate of explant proteins. Radioactive glucosamine, galactosamine, galactose and mannose were also found in this fraction.     

A new core tetrasaccharide component from the lipopolysaccharide of Rhizobium trifolii ANU 843

A second core oligosaccharide fragment has been isolated and characterized from the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Rhizobium trifolii ANU 843. The oligosaccharide is a tetrasaccharide composed of galactose, galacturonic acid, mannose, and 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid. The mannose residue is alpha-linked to the 4-position of 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid and the galacturonic acid residue is alpha-linked to the 6-position of mannose. The galactose residue, which is acetylated at the 4-position, is attached to the 4-position of mannose by an alpha-linkage. All of the aldoses are in the pyranose form. The composition of the tetrasaccharide was determined by gas-liquid chromatography of the alditol acetate derivatives of the component monosaccharides. The configuration of anomeric linkages was determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) was performed on acetylated, per(trideutero)acetylated and underivatized tetrasaccharide giving sequence information in addition to information on the residue which was acetylated. Similar studies were performed on the oligosaccharide after reduction with sodium cyanoborohydride and peracetylation with labeled and unlabeled acetic anhydride as before. Further linkage and sequence analysis was obtained from methylation analysis, and from electron impact mass spectrometry of the per(trideutero)acetylated oligosaccharide and from collision-induced dissociation fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry using linked scans at constant B/E on the cyanoborohydride-reduced, per (trideutero)acetylated oligosaccharide. The exact location of the acetyl group was deduced from 1H NMR double resonance experiments in conjunction with mass spectrometric data.     

Characterization of the N- and O-linked oligosaccharides in glycoproteins synthesized by Schistosoma mansoni schistosomula

This report describes the structural analyses of the O- and N-linked oligosaccharides contained in glycoproteins synthesized by 48-hr-old Schistosoma mansoni schistosomula. Schistosomula were prepared by mechanical transformation of cercariae and were then incubated in media containing either [2-3H] mannose, [6-3H]glucosamine, or [6-3H]galactose to metabolically radiolabel the oligosaccharide moieties of newly synthesized glycoproteins. Analysis by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography demonstrated that many glycoproteins were metabolically radiolabeled with the radioactive mannose and glucosamine precursors, whereas few glycoproteins were labeled by the radioactive galactose precursor. Glycopeptide were prepared from the radiolabeled glycoproteins by digestion with pronase and fractionated by chromatography on columns of concanavalin A-Sepharose and pea lectin-agarose. The structures of the oligosaccharide chains in the glycopeptides were analyzed by a variety of techniques. The major O-linked sugars were not bound by concanavalin A-Sepharose and consisted of simple O-linked monosaccharides that were terminal O-linked N-acetylgalactosamine, the minor type, and terminal O-linked N-acetylglucosamine, the major type. The N-linked oligosaccharides were found to consist of high mannose- and complex-type chains. The high mannose-type N-linked chains, which were bound with high affinity by concanavalin A-Sepharose, ranged in size from Man6GlcNAc2 to Man9GlcNAc2. The complex-type chains contained mannose, fucose, N-acetylglucosamine, and N-acetylgalactosamine. No sialic acid was present in any metabolically radiolabeled glycoproteins from schistosomula.     

Nature of the Carbohydrate Side Chains and Their Linkage to the Protein in Chicken Egg White Ovomucin

Some proteolytic digests of chicken egg white ovomucin were fractionated and characterized. It was shown that there are at least three types of carbohydrate side chains in ovomucin; a chain composed of galactose, galactosamine, sialic acid and sulfate in a molar ratio of about 1: 1: 1: 1, a chain composed of galactose and glucosamine in a molar ratio of about 1:1, and a chain composed of mannose and glucosamine in a molar ratio of about 1:1. It was also shown that the carbohydrate side chain composed of galactose, galactosamine, sialic acid and sulfate is linked O-glycosidically to serine or threonine in the protein core of ovomucin.     

Carbohydrate composition of serum low and high density lipoproteins of nonhuman primate species.

1. Carbohydrate composition of serum low and high density lipoproteins obtained from 5 nonhuman primate species (chimpanzee, patas, baboon, rhesus, and spider) and humans was studied. 2. Individual lipoproteins were isolated from pooled sera of each species by ultracentrifugal flotation between the densities 1.019-1.063 for LDL-2; 1.063-1.12 for HDL-2; and 1.12-1.21 for HDL-3. After delipidation, sialic acid, fucose, glucosamine, mannose, galactose, and glucose were determined on apo LDL-2, apo HDL-2, and apo HDL-3. 3. Glucosamine, galactose, and mannose constituted a major component of the sugars in apo LDL-2, with similar relative proportions in all species. Sialic acid, fucose, and glucose formed a minor component, the proportions of which varied greatly among the species. 4. Unlike apo LDL-2, sialic acid, fucose, and glucosamine constituted the bulk of the sugars in apo HDL-2 and apo HDL-3. Mannose, galactose, and glucose were minor components, with galactose predominating. 5. Qualitative differences were observed in electrophoretic mobilities of apo HDL-2 and apo HDL-3 on polyacrylamide gel. One faster moving band was unique to chimpanzee. 6. Intraspecies differences in the content of sialic acid and fucose of apolipoproteins may be related to lipoprotein metabolism and species susceptibility (or resistance) to either spontaneous or diet-induced atherosclerosis.     

Purification of the influenza hemagglutinin glycoprotein and characterization of its carbohydrate components.

Hemagglutinin from influenza A/PR8 virus was purified after treatment of the virus with sodium deoxycholate followed by extraction with tri-n-butyl phosphate. This fully disrupted the virus while preserving hemagglutinating activity. The hemagglutinin was obtained in the form of small aggregates that could be separated from other viral components. Purified hemagglutinin was hydrolyzed to determine carbohydrate composition and digested with Pronase to analyze oligosaccharide structures. Sugars present in the hemagglutinin were galactose, mannose, fucose, and glucosamine in molar rates of about 6:11:2:5, and these comprised 16% of the hemagglutinin glycoprotein. Oligosaccharides obtained from virus included a major component of a molecular weight of 2,800, composed of glucosamine, galactose, mannose, and fucose, and a minor heterogenous component of a molecular weight of 1,500 to 2,000, containing predominantly mannose. The 2,800-molecular-weight oligosaccharide was a constituent of the hemagglutinin, and treatment of this large oligosaccharide with specific exo-glycosidases demonstrated the presence of terminal galactose and fucose and allowed the deduction of a general structure for this component.     

Characterization of the oligosaccharide units of the bovine erythrocyte membrane glycoprotein.

The major glycoprotein of the bovine erythrocyte membrane was purified by extraction of the ghosts with lithium 3,5-diiodosalicylate followed by phenol-water extraction and acidification. The glycoprotein contains 20% protein and 80% carbohydrate by weight and gives a single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels with an estimated molecular weight of 230000 daltons. The carbohydrate composition of the glycoprotein was determined to be (in residues relative to sialic acid): sialic acid, 1.0; fucose, less than 0.01; mannose, 0.1; galactose, 3.3; N-acetylgalactosamine, 0.9; and N-acetylglucosamine, 2.4. Pronase digestion of the isolated glycoprotein followed by Sephadex G-75 gel filtration resulted in the separation of a small pool of glycopeptides (pool III), which included all of the mannose-containing glycopeptides, from the bulk of the glycopeptide material which was in the void fractions of the column (pool I). Alkaline borohydride treatment released over 95% of the oligosaccharide units in pool I and approximately 30% of the oligosaccharide units in pool III. These oligosaccharides were isolated by gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. The oligosaccharides released from pool I had molecular weights of 1100-1400 daltons and contained sialic acid, galactose, and N-acetylglucosamine in molar ratios of 0.5-1:3:2 as well as a partial residue of N-acetylgalactosaminitol. The oligosaccharides released from pool III by alkali had molecular weights of 1300-1600 daltons and contained sialic acid, galactose, N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylgalactosamine and N-ACETYLgalactosaminitol in molar ratios of 1-2:2:1:1:1. These data indicate that the majority of the oligosaccharide units of the bovine erythrocyte glycoprotein are linked O-glycosidically to the peptide backbone of the molecule.     

Characterization of two glycoasparagines isolated from the urine of patients with aspartylglycosylaminuria (AGU).

Two major glycoasparagines (2-acetamido-N-(4'-L-aspartyl)-2-deoxy-beta-D-glycosylamines) were isolated from the urine of patients with aspartylglycosylaminuria (AGU). They were composed of equimolar amounts of sialic acid, galactose, glucosamine, and aspartic acid. They were isomeric with respect to the position of sialic acid attachment, since they produced the same glycoasparagine on incubation with the neuraminidase from Clostridium perfringens. The structure of the resulting sialic acid-free glycoasparagine was determined as beta-Gal-(1 leads to 4)-beta-GlcNAc-Asn based on the following findings. It produced galactose on incubation with beta-galactosidase, and N-acetyllactosamine and aspartic acid on incubation with 4-L-aspartylglycosylamine amindo hydrolase.     

Carbohydrate composition of lymphocyte plasma membrane from pig mesenteric lymph node.

Pig lymphocyte plasma membrane isolated from mesenteric lymph node contained 69 mug of carbohydrate/mg dry wt., which was made up of neutral sugar, amino sugar and sialic acid in the molar proportions 5:1.7:1. The neutral sugar comprised fucose, ribose, mannose, glucose, galactose and inositol (molar proportions 2:9:11:15:26:1), and the amino sugar glucosamine and galactosamine (molar ratio 2:1). The ribose was most probably derived from RNA. All of the fucose and mannose and almost all of the glucosamine were associated with the membrane protein whereas the membrane lipid contained all of the inositol. The remaining sugars were distributed in various ratios between the protein and lipid fractions.     

The carbohydrate moiety of the activator protein for glucosylceramide beta-glucosidase

SAP-2 is a family of heat-stable, acidic glycoproteins which stimulate enzymatic hydrolysis of glucosylceramide. We studied the carbohydrate moieties of a ConA-binding form of SAP-2. The protein contained glucosamine, galactose, mannose, and fucose; galactosamine and sialic acid were not detectable. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining showed three bands of 6.5, 8.5, and 10 kDa. After deglycosylation with peptide N-glycosidase, SAP-2 eluted more slowly from the C4 column and showed a single band of 4 kDa. From carbohydrate analysis it was evident that deglycosylation had removed more than 90% of the sugars. These data indicate that SAP-2 possesses N-linked complex or hybrid type oligosaccharide chains. The specific activity of the deglycosylated protein in the glucosidase stimulation assay was unaffected.     

The variant surface glycoproteins of Trypanosoma equiperdum. Identification of a phosphorylated glycopeptide as the cross-reacting antigenic determinant

The cross-reacting antigenic determinant in the variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs) of Trypanosoma equiperdum was studied by testing the ability of VSG glycopeptides to bind heterologous anti-VSG sera. VSG glycopeptide purification revealed the presence of 3 oligosaccharide sidechains on the mature VSG. These consist of two sidechains containing only mannose and glucosamine and a third containing galactose and mannose (in a 5:1 ratio) as well as phosphorous and ethanolamine. This phosphorylated fragment completely blocked the binding of VSG to heterologous anti-VSG and therefore contained the cross-reacting determinants.     

Study of specific oligosaccharide structures related with swine flu (H1N1) and avian flu, and tamiflu as their remedy

The infection of pandemic influenza viruses such as swine flu (H1N1) and avian flu viruses to the host cells is related to the following two factors: First, the surface protein such as HA (hemagglutinin) and NA (neuraminidase) of the influenza virus. Second, the specific structure of the oligosaccharide [sialic acid(alpha2-6) galactose(beta1-4)glucose or sialic acid(alpha2-3)galactose(beta1-4)glucose] on the host cell. After recognizing the specific structure of the oligosaccharide on the surface of host cells by the surface protein of the influenza virus, the influenza virus can secrete sialidase and cleave the sialic acid attached on the final position of the specific structure of the oligosaccharide on the surface of host cells. Tamiflu (oseltamivir), known as a remedy of swine flu, has a saccharide analog structure, especially the sialic acid analog. Tamiflu can inhibit the invasion of influenza viruses (swine flu and avian flu viruses) into the host cells by competition with sialic acid on the terminal position of the specific oligosaccharide on the surface of the host cell. Because of the emergence of Tamiflu resistance, the development of new potent anti-influenza inhibitors is needed. The inhibitors with positive-charge groups have potential as antiviral therapeutics, and the strain specificity must also be resolved.     

The structure of carbohydrate unit B of porcine thyroglobulin.

The oligosaccharide fraction was obtained from porcine thyroglobulin by hydrazinolysis. Four fractions of unit B-type oligosaccharides were purified by successive chromatographies on columns of DEAE-cellulose and concanavalin A-Sepharose, and their structures were investigated by the combination of endo- and exo-glycosidase digestions, methylation analysis and Smith degradation. From the results of these studies, the structures of the unit B oligosaccharides were proposed to be as follows: see formula in text. Thus the glycoprotein was found to have triantennary and biantennary complex-type oligosaccharides as acidic sugar chains. Concerning the triantennary oligosaccharides, the following structural features were shown: (1) the sialic acid residues were not localized on certain specific branches but distributed on all three branches; (2) however, alpha (2 leads to 3)-linked sialic acid residues were exclusively located on the terminal of the branch arising from C-4 of the branching alpha-mannose residue, whereas alpha (2 leads to 6)-linked sialic acid residues occupied terminals of the other branches; (3) the outer branching alpha-mannose residue was attached to C-3 or C-6 of an inner branching beta-linked mannose residue, and both types were observed to exist.     

Separation of the integral membrane glycoproteins E1 and E2 of Semliki Forest virus by affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose.

The membrane glycoproteins E1 and E2 of Semliki Forest virus are of about equal size but can be separated from each other by affinity chromatography on a concanavalin A-Sepharose column in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The E1 protein eluted like glycopeptides containing two peripheral sugar branches composed of N-acetylglucosamine, mannose, galactose and sialic acid. The E2 eluted like glycopeptides containing only N-acetylglucosamine and mannose.