Glycosidase susceptibility: a probe for the distribution of glycoprotein oligosaccharides in Sindbis virus.

Intact Sindbis virus and Triton-solubilized viral glycoprotein were treated with alpha-mannosidase and with a preparation of mixed glycosidases from Diplococcus pneumoniae to probe the accesibility of carbohydrate units on the viral surface. The products of glycosidase attack on Triton-solubilized virus showed that mose carbohydrate units of the glycoproteins are good substrates for these enzymes. The relative resistance of most of the viral oligosaccharides in intact virus particles showed that much of the carbohydrate is not accessible to glycosidases, probably because it is not exposed at the viral surface. The only completely accessible carbohydrate units on Sindbis glycoproteins were the type A oligosaccharides of E2. This differential accessibility of Sindbis oligosaccharides is discussed in relation to the organization of the viral surface.     

Structures of the carbohydrate chains of membrane glycoproteins IIb and IIIa of human platelets

Human platelet membrane glycoproteins IIb (GPIIb) and IIIa (GPIIIa), which have been proposed to be subunits of a receptor for fibrinogen, were purified from Triton X-100-solubilized platelet membranes by affinity chromatography on a concanavalin A (Con A)-Sepharose column followed by preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Compositional analyses of the purified glycoproteins showed that GPIIb and GPIIIa contain 15% and 18% carbohydrate by weight, respectively, which consists of galactose, mannose, glucosamine, fucose, and sialic acid. This suggested that these glycoproteins contained N-linked carbohydrate chains. The carbohydrate chains were released from each glycoprotein by hydrazinolysis and then fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography on a Mono Q column. From each glycoprotein, mono-, di-, and trisialylated and neutral oligosaccharide fractions were obtained. The structures of these oligosaccharides were investigated by means of compositional and methylation analyses and digestion by exoglycosidase, and their reactivities to immobilized lectins were also examined. The neutral oligosaccharides, which comprised about 14% of the total oligosaccharides released from GPIIb and about 52% of that from GPIIIa, were found to be of the high mannose-type, in that they contained 5 or 6 mannose residues. On the other hand, a major part of the acidic oligosaccharides was found to consist of typical bi- and triantennary complex-type sugar chains, and much smaller amounts of tetraantennary complex-type sugar chains, and complex-type sugar chains with a fucosyl residue at a N-acetylglucosamine residue in the peripheral portion or a bisecting N-acetylglucosamine at a beta-mannosyl residue in the core portion were also detected. In conclusion, we found that GPIIb contained mainly complex-type sugar chains, whereas high mannose-type sugar chains were the predominant carbohydrate units in GPIIIa, and that the detected differences in the carbohydrate moieties of GPIIb and GPIIIa were quantitative but not qualitative.     

Oligosaccharide composition of an influenza virus hemagglutinin with host-determined binding properties

We have previously reported that the binding properties of the hemagglutinin (HA) of the WSN-F strain of influenza A are affected by the cells in which the virus is grown (Crecelius, D. M., Deom, C. M., and Schulze, I.T. (1984) Virology 139, 164-177); at 37 degrees C chick embryo fibroblast-grown F virus has a greater affinity for host cells than does the same virus grown in Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells. In an attempt to explain this host-determined property, we have characterized the carbohydrate put onto the viral HA by these two cells. Experiments using tunicamycin indicate that the HA made by MDBK cells contains about 4000 daltons of carbohydrate in excess of that on the HA from chick embryo fibroblast. Serial lectin affinity chromatography of the asparagine-linked oligosaccharides on the HA subunits, HA1 and HA2, detected a number of host-dependent differences in the complex oligosaccharides. Both HA1 and HA2 from MDBK cells contained more highly branched (i.e. tri- and tetraantennary) complex oligosaccharides than did the subunits from chick embryo fibroblasts. In addition, the HA subunits from the two sources differed in the amount of galactose-containing "bisected" complex oligosaccharides and in the presence of certain fucosylated triantennary oligosaccharides. Profiles of the asparagine-linked oligosaccharides from the host cells did not show these differences, indicating that the HA subunit profiles were not necessarily representative of the structures found on the cellular glycoproteins. The data support the conclusion that bulky oligosaccharides on the MDBK-HA subunits of WSN-F reduce the affinity of the virus for cellular receptors.     

Coronavirus proteins: structure and function of the oligosaccharides of the avian infectious bronchitis virus glycoproteins.

The recent finding that the E1 glycoproteins of murine coronaviruses contain only O-linked oligosaccharides suggested that this unusual modification might be a distinguishing feature of coronaviruses and might play an essential role in the life cycle of this family of viruses. To examine these possibilities, we analyzed the oligosaccharide moieties of the membrane proteins of the avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus. In addition, we determined the effect of inhibiting the glycosylation of these proteins on viral maturation and infectivity. Infectious bronchitis virus virions contain nine proteins. Four of these proteins, GP36, GP31, GP28, and P23, are closely related structurally and appear to be homologous to the E1 proteins of murine coronaviruses. We found that the oligosaccharides of GP31 and GP28 could be removed with endoglycosidase H and that neither of these glycoproteins was detectable in tunicamycin-treated cells. These two results indicated that GP31 and GP28 contain N-linked oligosaccharides. Therefore, O-linked oligosaccharides are not a universal feature of the small coronavirus membrane glycoproteins. Tunicamycin inhibited glycosylation of all of the viral glycoproteins but did not inhibit production of virions by infectious bronchitis virus-infected cells. The virions released by these cells contained only the three non-glycosylated viral proteins P51, P23, and P14. These particles were not infectious. Therefore, it appears that glycosylated infectious bronchitis virus polypeptides are not required for particle formation. However, the viral glycoproteins are apparently indispensible for viral infectivity.     

Glycosaminoglycans and other carbohydrate groups bound to proteins of control and transformed cells

The membrane glycoproteins from control (BHK21/C13) and Rous sarcoma virus-transformed (C13/B4) baby hamster kidney cells labeled with D-[14C]- or D-[3H]glucosamine, respectively, were purified by means of polyacrylamide electrophoresis and gel electrofocusing. The homogeneity of the isolated glycoproteins was demonstrated by analysis of the NH2-terminal peptides. Some purified glycoproteins were found to be hybrid molecules in terms of the type of oligosaccharides they bear. The majority of the oligosaccharides (approximately 90%) bound on thee glycoproteins are N-glycosidically linked (Mr approximately 3000 to 5000). Another 5% appears to be small groups linked O-glycosidically to several adjacent or closely spaced amino acid residues. The remainder (5%) of the carbohydrate groups appears to be small, covalently bound glycosaminoglycans. This is the first report of hybrid molecules bearing glycosaminoglycans in the cell surface. The ratio of the types of oligosaccharides varies among different glycoproteins. There is slightly more glycosaminoglycan present on glycoproteins from malignant cells. A remarkably complex but similar array of N-glyucosidically linked oligosccharides is bound to different individual membrane glycoproteins. Each individual polypeptide must contain only a small number of the total observed carbohydrate groups, i.e. the carbohydrate groups on individual polypeptides are grossly heterogeneous. This implies that purification is based largely on the characteristics of the polypeptide, and that overall charge and size of the carbohydrate groups are relatively constant in a single population of glycoproteins. Our results suggest that the differences between the carbohydrate groups derived from glycoproteins from control and transformed cells are mainly quantitative.     

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.     

Glycoproteins of avian tumor virus recombinants: evidence for intragenic crossing-over.

The envelope glycoproteins of several avian tumor virus recombinants selected for the host range of a leukosis virus and the transforming function of a sarcoma virus were compared with each other and with those of their parents. It was found that the glycoproteins of different recombinant viruses, derived from the same parents, differed in their electrophoretic mobilities measured in polyacrylmide gels. The glycoproteins that had lower electrophoretic mobilities had higher precentages of carbohydrate. The carbohydrate of viral glycoproteins was estimated to range between 8 and 18% from their buoyant densities in CsCl, using known glycoproteins as standards. After exhaustive Pronase digestion, the carbohydrate was recovered from viral glycoproteins as a mixture of glycopeptides with molecular weights ranging from 2,500 to 5,000. It was estimated that distinct viral glycoproteins contained between two and five such oligosaccharide chains and that the glycoproteins of different recombinants expressing the same host range marker may differ in the number of oligosaccharide chains and consequently also in their polypeptide structure. Those with lower electrophoretic mobility contain more oligosaccharide chains per molecule than those with higher electrophoretic mobilities. It is suggested that not oligosaccharide chains define the viral host range.     

Purification and structures of oligosaccharide chains in swine trachea and Cowper's gland mucin glycoproteins

Mucin glycoproteins were purified from extracts of swine trachea mucosa and Cowper's gland. The gelatinous extracts were solubilized by reduction and carboxymethylation and then purified by chromatography on Sepharose CL-6B and DEAE-Sepharose. The structure of some of the carbohydrate units in these glycoproteins were determined and compared. Alkaline borohydride treatment indicated that more than 85% of the carbohydrate chains in these glycoproteins were linked to serine or threonine residues in the polypeptide chain through O-glycosidic bonds with N-acetylgalactosamine. Reduced oligosaccharides released by treatment with alkaline borohydride were isolated by gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-6 and chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and paper. The structures of the oligosaccharides were established by methylation analysis, gas chromatography, and sequential hydrolysis with specific exoglycosidases. The major oligosaccharides in Cowper's gland mucin glycoproteins were sialylated short chains: NeuAc alpha 2,6GalNAcol and NeuAc alpha 2,3Gal beta 1,3(NeuAc alpha 2,6)GalNAcol. In marked contrast, branched chains containing a Gal beta 1,3(GlcNAc beta 1,6)GalNAc core unit were the major components of trachea mucin glycoprotein. Ten of these chains had the following structures: (Formula: see text).     

Presence of sulfate in N-glycosidically linked carbohydrate units of calf thyroid plasma membrane glycoproteins

Calf thyroid slices were found to incorporate [35S] sulfate into two major plasma membrane glycoproteins, which have been previously designated as GP-1 and GP-3 (Okada, Y., and Spiro, R. G. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 8865-8872). The 35S-glycoproteins were identified on the basis of their characteristic solubility and electrophoretic migration as well as their affinity for Bandeiraea simplicifolia I lectin. After pronase digestion of these glycoproteins, the 35S-label remained associated with the glycopeptides primarily on asparagine-linked carbohydrate units which were released by hydrazinolysis. Examination of the reduced radio-labeled products obtained by nitrous acid cleavage of the hydrazine-liberated oligosaccharides indicated that sulfate esters of N-acetylglucosamine occurred at three locations on the carbohydrate units; two 35S-monosaccharides (2,5-anhydromannitol 4- and 6-sulfate) and one 35S-disaccharide (beta-Gal(1----4)-2,5-anhydromannitol(6-SO4] were formed. The disaccharide is believed to be derived from an internal sulfated N-acetyllactosamine sequence while the monosaccharides most likely originate from 4- and 6-sulfated N-acetylglucosamine residues situated, respectively, at the non-reducing and reducing termini of the oligosaccharide units. Quantitation by NaB[3H]4 reduction of the sulfated saccharides obtained by nitrous acid treatment of hydrazine-released oligosaccharides from unlabeled GP-3 indicated that about 20% of the asparagine-linked carbohydrate units contain sulfate substituents.     

Analysis of N-linked oligosaccharides: progress towards the characterisation of glycoprotein-linked carbohydrates

The covalent attachment of carbohydrate to proteins is a very common co- or post-translational event in the biosynthesis of glycoproteins. The type and heterogeneity of these oligosaccharides can affect a range of physico-chemical and biological properties of a glycoprotein. Thus the development of sensitive, reliable and robust analytical methods for carbohydrate analysis is important in the pharmaceutical industry, especially in the recombinant production of experimental and therapeutic glycoproteins. In this report we have reviewed methodology for the in-gel enzymatic release of N-linked oligosaccharides from glycoproteins separated by electrophoresis. These oligosaccharides are derivatised by reductive amination using 3-acetamido-6-aminoacridine (AA-Ac), a novel, highly fluorescent probe. A major advantage of this technique is that glycan derivatives are amenable to analysis by an array of chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods, allowing the resolution and characterisation of a wide variety of glycan structures. It is hoped that in due course the methodology described will be applied to proteomics studies, especially in identifying the role of carbohydrate in protein function and disease.     

Structure of the oligosaccharide portion of human hepatitis B surface antigen

The hepatitis B surface antigen, which constitutes the currently available vaccine, is the empty envelope of the hepatitis B virus. We investigated the carbohydrate structures of the envelope glycoproteins. The intact oligosaccharides were enzymatically released from the coat glycoproteins using peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl) asparagine amidase F and isolated by gel permeation chromatography. Cesium ion liquid secondary ion mass spectra of the intact, underivatized oligosaccharides showed molecular weights of 1932, 2078, and 2223. The mixture included partially and totally sialylated structures, a fraction (approximately 8%) of which were substituted with a single terminal fucose residue; no desialylated oligosaccharides were detected. The reducing termini of the oligomers were derivatized by reduction of the Schiff base formed using p-aminobenzoic acid ethyl ester, and fragmentation patterns identical to those produced from standard biantennary complex oligosaccharides were obtained. Methylation linkage analysis of the oligosaccharides showed that the carbohydrate composition and the mannose branching patterns also resembled those of a biantennary oligosaccharide. The results of this study indicate that glycosylation of the hepatitis B surface antigen, which takes place in the liver, is typical of other serum glycoproteins made in the liver; and this analytical strategy, including cesium ion liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry, is an effective approach for the structural analysis of complex carbohydrates available in only the 1-10 micrograms sample size range.     

The structure of the carbohydrate units of the carboxyl-terminal peptide of procollagen as elucidated by 500 MHz 1H-NMR spectroscopy

The oligosaccharides of chick embryo type I procollagen were isolated from the carboxyl-terminal propeptide fragment by exhaustive digestion with papain and pronase, and then purified as a mixture of glycopeptides. The structures of the oligosaccharides were established by high-resolution ¹H-NMR spectroscopy and found to be a mixture with respect to the non-reducing terminal residues as shown below:

The percentages refer to the relative amount of those mannose residues present in the mixture. The data suggest that the oligosaccharides are a microheterogeneous mixture of high-mannose type glycans containing between six and nine mannose residues per carbohydrate unit. Such carbohydrate chains, although not uncommon for glycoproteins, had never been found before for collagen or collagen-related compounds.     

gp160 of HIV-I synthesized by persistently infected Molt-3 cells is terminally glycosylated: evidence that cleavage of gp160 occurs subsequent to oligosaccharide processing

The envelope glycoprotein of HIV-I in infected, cultured human T cells is synthesized as a precursor of apparent Mr 160 kDa (gp160) and is cleaved to two glycoproteins, gp120 and gp41, which are the mature envelope glycoproteins in the virus. Neither the temporal and spatial features of glycosylation nor the oligosaccharide processing and proteolytic cleavage of the envelope glycoprotein are well understood. To understand more about these events, we investigated the glycosylation and cleavage of the envelope glycoproteins in the CD4+ human cell line, Molt-3, persistently infected with HIV-I (HTLV IIIB). The carbohydrate analysis of gp160 and gp120 and the behavior of the glycoproteins and glycopeptides derived from them on immobilized lectins demonstrate that both of these glycoproteins contain complex- and high-mannose-type Asn-linked oligosaccharides. In addition, the N-glycanase-resistant oligosaccharides of gp120 were found to contain N-acetyl-galactosamine, a common constituent of Ser/Thr-linked oligosaccharides. Pulse-chase analysis of the conversion of [35S]cysteine-labeled gp160 showed that in Molt-3 cells it takes about 2 h for gp120 to arise with a half-time of conversion of about 5 h. At its earliest detectable occurrence, gp120 was found to contain complex-type Asn-linked oligosaccharides. Taken together, these results indicate that proteolytic cleavage of gp160 to gp120 and gp41 occurs either within the trans-Golgi or in a distal compartment.     

The structure of carbohydrate chains of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase of influenza virus B/Leningrad/179/86

The main surface glycoprotein, hemagglutinin (HA), was obtained by treatment of influenza virus B/Leningrad/179/86 with bromelain. Amino acid and monosaccharide compositions of HA and neuraminidase (NA, earlier isolated from the same virus) were determined, thus showing HA and NA to contain 8-10 and 2 carbohydrate chains, respectively. The carbohydrate fragments were cleaved off by the alkaline LiBH4 treatment, the oligosaccharides released were reduced with NaB3H4 and fractionated by two-step HPLC on Ultrasphere-C18 and Zorbax-NH2 columns. Some higher mannose and complex oligosaccharides were identified in both cases by comparison with nonlabelled oligosaccharides of the known structure. The data obtained show that surface glycoproteins of influenza virus A and B are rather similar with regard to structure and heterogeneity of their carbohydrate chains.     

Analysis of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides by sequential lectin affinity chromatography

Lectins are proteins that specifically bind to a particular carbohydrate structure. Affinity chromatography with immobilized lectins is a quite effective technique not only for the fractionation of glycoproteins or oligosaccharides but also their structural assessment. In this article, we focus on the separation of glycopeptides and oligosaccharides derived from glycoproteins by affinity chromatography on immobilized lectin columns.     

Evidence for the presence of complex carbohydrates in Candida albicans cell wall glycoproteins

In order to test the hypothesis that cell wall glycoproteins of Candida albicans contained non-mannan oligosaccharides, the sugar composition of cell wall extracts and fractions of cell wall extracts was examined by means of fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE). In addition to the expected mannose, glucose, and N-acetyl-glucosamine, this analysis showed the presence of galactose, N-acetyl-galactosamine, fucose, and sialic acid and two unknown sugars. These sugars are also associated with complex oligosaccharides of mammalian glycoproteins. Presence of fucosylated cell wall components was further demonstrated by lectin-blotting analysis of cell wall extracts. Besides their structural role, complex carbohydrate structures on the surface of C. albicans may represent additional motifs through which interactions of this fungus with host cells and tissues could be established.     

The structure of oligosaccharide fragments of glycoproteins from influenza virus A/Krasnodar/101/59/(H2N2)--heavy and light chains of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase

The structure and heterogeneity of carbohydrate chains of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA), the surface glycoproteins of influenza virus A/Krasnodar/101/59 (H2N2), were investigated. Hemagglutinin was reduced with beta-mercaptoethanol and its heavy (HA1) and light (HA2) chains were separated by gel chromatography. Amino acid and sugar composition of HA1, HA2 and NA was elucidated. The carbohydrate chains of the glycoproteins were cleaved off by the alkaline LiBH4 treatment and oligosaccharides were reduced with NaB[3H]4. They were fractionated by subsequent two-step HPLC on Ultrasphere-C8 and Zorbax-NH2 columns with simultaneous identification using nonlabelled oligosaccharides of known structures. Some of the major oligosaccharides isolated from HA1, HA2 and NA were thus identified as high mannose chains, containing 5-9 mannose residues, and complex chains, first of all biantennary chains having or not having bisecting N-acetylglucosamine and/or fucose residues. The approach which has been developed enables one to study the structure and heterogeneity of carbohydrate chains starting from one nmole of a desialylated N-glycoprotein.     

Carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome type 1: correction of the glycosylation defect by deprivation of glucose or supplementation of mannose

In the carbohydrate deficient glycoprotein syndrome (CDGS) type 1 glycoproteins with less and shorter N-linked oligosaccharides are synthesized due to a deficiency of phosphomannomutase. Glucose deprivation or mannose addition are shown to partially or fully correct the size of oligosaccharides incorporated into lipid linked oligosaccharides and nascent glycoproteins in skin fibroblasts from CDGS type 1 patients with a phosphomannomutase defect. The corrective effect is ascribed to regulatory mechanisms and/or metabolic pathways that bypass phosphomannomutase.     

A computerized approach to the analysis of oligosaccharide structure by high-resolution proton n.m.r.

The 500 MHz proton-n.m.r. spectra of 21 oligosaccharides, predominantly of the lacto-N and lacto-N-neo series and their derivatives containing non-reducing terminal fucose, sialic acid or N-acetylgalactosamine and reduced-end hexitol or hexosaminitol, were examined with 2H2O as solvent. The chemical-shift data obtained from analysis of the spectra were collated with data from other laboratories who have used 250-500 MHz n.m.r. in the analysis of secreted and chemically synthesized oligosaccharides and of the O- and N-linked chains of glycoproteins. A referenced computer library was constructed that includes the chemical shifts of monosaccharides within oligosaccharide sequences that make up the majority of the carbohydrate structures found in mammalian glycoproteins. Examples are given of the computerized interrogation of this library for the assignment of possible structures of unknown oligosaccharides.