Characterisation of the carbohydrate components of Taenia solium metacestode glycoprotein antigens

Human neurocysticercosis is caused by Taenia solium metacestodes. It usually affects the central nervous system of humans and can be confused with other brain pathologies. The Lens culinaris-binding glycoproteins from this parasite have been shown to be ideal targets for the development of a highly specific immunoassay for the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis. In the present study we characterised the carbohydrates associated with five antigenic glycoproteins of T. solium metacestodes in the range of 12-28 kilodaltons. Lectin-affinities and enzymatic deglycosylations suggested that each of the five antigens contain various glycoforms of asparagine-linked carbohydrates of the hybrid, complex and probably high mannose type. These carbohydrates accounted for at least 30-66% of the apparent molecular mass of the glycoconjugates. In contrast, there was no evidence for the presence of O-linked carbohydrates. Lectin affinity patterns suggested that the sugars are short and truncated in their biosynthetic route, and that some contain terminal galactose moieties. Elucidating the precise structure of the carbohydrates and establishing their role in antigenicity will be essential to design strategies to produce them in large and reproducible amounts for the development of improved immunoassays.     

Membrane biogenesis in embryonal carcinomas: glycoproteins destined for the cell surface are delayed in a pre-Golgi compartment

Embryonal carcinoma and early embryonic cells assemble a family of unusually large and complex carbohydrates. These glycans are highly branched, repeating copolymers of the sugars galactose and N-acetylglucosamine, referred to as polylactosamines, and are frequently decorated with fucose, sulfate, and sialic acid. We have previously shown that in teratocarcinoma cells these glycans are part of a large spectrum of glycans assembled on mannose cores derived from a common precursor glycan. Metabolic studies revealed a large excess of high-mannose glycans at a time when complex-type glycans cease to accumulate. The present studies demonstrate that these high-Man glycans are not degraded internally or secreted directly but are on glycoproteins destined for the cell surface. These unprocessed glycoproteins replace material lost during the extensive membrane turnover that occurs in these cells. Their export to the cell surface is delayed in a pre-Golgi compartment.     

Two types of rat gastric mucus glycoprotein subunits

Gastric mucus glycoproteins were extracted with 2% Triton X-100 from rat gastric corpus and antrum and purified by CsCl equilibrium centrifugation. Corpus mucus glycoproteins were degraded into what appeared to be two "subunits" (Mw 4.4 x 10(5) and 6 x 10(6)) by the reduction of disulfide bonds. Papain digestion of the latter produced glycopeptides with a molecular weight of approximately 4.4 x 10(5). This type of subunit had carbohydrate chains with about 9 sugars attached to every 2 amino acid residues. Papain digestion of the former type of subunit revealed no change in the elution profile on Bio-Gel A-15m. This type of subunit had carbohydrate chains with 17-19 sugars attached to every 3 amino acid residues. The subunit of antral mucus glycoproteins was essentially the same as the former type of corpus subunits in molecular weight (Mw 4.4 x 10(5)) and average oligosaccharide chain length. These results suggest that there are two distinct types of mucus glycoprotein subunits in rat stomach.     

Effect of impaired glycosylation on the biosynthesis of Semliki forest virus glycoproteins.

The glycoproteins of Semliki Forest virus, grown in chicken embryo cells, were labeled with radioactive sugars. The data indicate a high mannose content of the nonstructural precursor glycoprotein NSP 63. This protein can also be readily labeled with 2-deoxy-D-glucose. The envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 are relatively rich in galactose, glucosamine, and fucose. Glycosylation can be impaired by 2-deoxy-D-glucose or D-glucosamine or by omission of sugars in the culture medium. Under these conditions characteristic changes in the electrophoretic profile of the viral polypeptides are observed: in the regions of glycoproteins NSP 97, NSP 63, and E1 and E2 new protein peaks can be detected. These polypeptides seem to be aberrant forms of the glycoproteins. When compared with the normal molecules they have lower molecular weights and contain less carbohydrates, especially mannose. Pulse-chase experiments indicate that the altered glycoproteins are degraded very slowly if at all. If, however, impairment is caused by omission of sugars in the culture medium, the radioactivity is chased after addition of glucose from the region between NSP 63 and E1 + E2 into the E1 + E2 peak. This suggests a completion of the carbohydrate chains under these conditions.     

Carbohydrates of the venoms of Bothrops asper of Costa Rica. Quantitative study

The venom of the Central American Bothrops asper, previously classified as B. atrox, is very rich in carbohydrates, both in the free state and forming a part of glycoproteins. It also contains neutral sugars (hexoses), methylpentoses, hexosamines and sialic acid. There is a significant difference in the quantity of carbohydrates in the venom of B. asper as compared to that of the South American B. atrox, thus further documenting the different taxonomic position of these two species.     

N-acetylation of amino sugar methyl glycosides for gas-liquid chromatographic analysis.

A procedure is described for rapid and quantitative N-acetylation of amino sugars, particularly suitable for gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of constituent carbohydrates in glycoproteins.     

Complex carbohydrates of cultured PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. Effects of nerve growth factor and comparison with neonatal and mature rat brain

The composition and biosynthesis of glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and gangliosides have been studied in a clonal line of rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. Glycoproteins account for approximately 78% of the glucosamine-labeled complex carbohydrates found in the culture medium, together with 17% chondroitin sulfate and 5% heparan sulfate. 10% of the glycoproteins but less than 1% of the proteoglycans are released by trypsin treatment of the cells, whose complex carbohydrates are composed of 93% glycoproteins, 1.3% chondroitin sulfate, 3.4% heparan sulfate, and 2.6% of mono- and disialogangliosides. Sequential lectin affinity chromatography and alkali treatment of glycopeptides prepared from the medium, trypsin-releasable, membrane, and cell-soluble glycoproteins demonstrated that in all of the subfractions large tri- and tetraantennary complex oligosaccharides account for 82 to 97% of those present in PC12 cell glycoproteins. Biantennary oligosaccharides account for approximately 2-6% of those in medium and trypsinate, as compared to 10-13% in the membrane and cell soluble glycoproteins, and there were large differences (ranging from 7 to 60%) in the proportions of biantennary oligosaccharides which are substituted by fucose on the core N-acetylglucosamine which is linked to asparagine. High mannose oligosaccharides are present predominantly in the cell membrane and soluble glycoproteins, where they account for 4 to 5% of the total glycoprotein labeling. In response to nerve growth factor (NGF), the PC12 cells extend long processes and acquire other properties similar to those of differentiated sympathetic neurons. Significant alterations were also observed in the complex carbohydrates of NGF-treated cells, the most striking of which were an almost 3-fold increase in labeled gangliosides and a 75% increase in trypsin-releasable glycoproteins. Cellular heparan sulfate decreased by 70% in response to NGF and increased by an equivalent amount in the culture medium, whereas an NGF-induced increase in chondroitin sulfate labeling occurred specifically in the cell membranes.     

Synthesis of maleimide-activated carbohydrates as chemoselective tags for site-specific glycosylation of peptides and proteins

An array of maleimide-activated mono- and oligosaccharides were synthesized to permit site-specific glycosylation of cysteine-containing peptides and proteins. Maleimide-activated monosaccharides, in which the native alpha- or beta-O-glycosidic linkages found for nonreducing terminal sugars of native glycoproteins are preserved, were prepared using 2'-aminoethyl glycosides as the key intermediates. In addition, a native high-mannose type oligosaccharide, Man(9)GlcNAc(2)Asn, was converted into its maleimide-activated form by taking advantage of the existing amino group in the Asn portion. The application of these maleimide-activated carbohydrates was exemplified by the site-specific glycosylation of a 36-mer HIV-1 gp41 peptide, T20, which is a potent inhibitor against HIV infection. The chemoselective ligation was found to be rapid, highly efficient, and essentially quantitative. Tagging the biologically active peptide with a mannose and/or oligomannose moiety will be useful for targeting the drug to macrophage and dendritic cells, which are primary targets for HIV-1 infection and are expressing mannose- and oligomanose-specific receptors on their surface. In combination with site-specific mutagenesis, the maleimide-activated carbohydrates can serve as generally applicable tags for site-specific glycosylation of proteins via the highly efficient maleimide-thiol ligation reaction.     

Lectins: Sources,Activities, and Applications

ABSTRACT:?

Lectins are glycoproteins or oligomeric proteins with one or more sugar-binding site(s) per subunit. These molecules are of nonimmune origin and bind reversibly with specific sugars and precipitate polysaccharides, glycoproteins, and glycolipids bearing specific sugars, thus acting as cell recognizers. They play a key role during the initiation of infections in the altered behavior of cells during metastasis and in protection of neonates against environmental antigens. The specificity of lectins for certain sugars has been used as probes to detect cell surface sugars, enzymes, immunoglo-bulins, and to identify tumorogenic cells. Lectin-liposome conjugates have also found applications for targeted drug delivery. In addition, they have been used for flocculation of bacterial suspensions in the industry. This review discusses various sources of lectins and the mechanism behind their potential role in diverse fields of biological interest.     

Effect of galactosidase enzymes on the glycoproteins of the platelet membrane determined using lectins

Eight lectins specific for different 125I-labelled carbohydrates were employed to study the effect of the neuraminidase, alpha-galactosidase, and beta-galactosidase enzymes on the glycoproteins and terminal carbohydrates of platelet membranes. Neuraminidase was seen to cause a decrease in molecular weight, as measured by polyacrylamide gradient electrophoresis, in glycoproteins IIb and III; this was apparently due to an almost 50% decrease in N-acetyl-D-glucosamine terminals. At the same time, new D-mannose and D-galactose terminals became accessible to the lectins. The alpha- and beta-galactosidases did not seem to affect the molecular weight of the glycoproteins appreciably, though the N-acetyl-D-glucosamine terminals decreased and D-galactose debris increased; differences were observed in the effects of both enzymes. The results confirm that N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, D-mannose and D-galactose are the most abundant membrane carbohydrates and suggest that the first is found as a terminal whereas the others must also be located in the internal zones of the glycoproteins.     

Lysosomal degradation of glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans. Efflux and recycling of sulphate and N-acetylhexosamines.

Lysosomal degradation of the carbohydrate portion of glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans produces monosaccharides and sulphate, which must efflux from the lysosomes before re-entering biosynthetic pathways. We examined the degradation of glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans by lysosomes isolated from cultured human diploid fibroblasts. Cells were grown for 24 h in medium containing [3H]glucosamine and [35S]sulphate. When lysosomes are isolated from these cells, they contain label primarily in macromolecules (glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans). Glycoprotein degradation by isolated lysosomes was followed by measuring the release of tritiated sugars from macromolecules and efflux of these sugars from the organelles. Glycosaminoglycan degradation was monitored by the release of both tritiated sugars and [35S]sulphate. During macromolecule degradation, the total amounts of free [35S]sulphate, N-acetyl[3H]glucosamine and N-acetyl[3H]galactosamine found outside the lysosome parallels the amounts of these products released by degradation. The total degradation of glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans by intact cultured cells was also examined. The lysosomal contribution to degradation was assessed by measuring inhibition by the lysosomotropic amine NH4Cl. After 48 h incubation, inhibition by NH4Cl exceeded 55% of glycoprotein and 72% of glycosaminoglycan degradation. Recycling of [3H]hexosamines and [35S]sulphate by intact cells was estimated by measuring the appearance of 'newly synthesized' radioactively labelled macromolecules in the medium. Sulphate does not appear to be appreciably recycled. N-Acetylglucosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine, on the other hand, are reutilized to a significant extent.     

The carbohydrate components of arterial basement-membrane-like material. Studies on rabbit aortic myomedial cells in culture.

The carbohydrate composition of arterial basement-membrane-like material was investigated. Basement-membrane-like material was isolated from cultures of aortic myomedial cells by a sonication/differential-centrifugation technique. Purified basement-membrane-like material contained a total of 5% sugars, comprising glucose, galactose, mannose, fucose, sialic acid, glucosamine and galactosamine in the approximate molar proportions 3.2:3.5:3.4:3.2:1:5.5:3.1. In addition, small amounts of xylose were found. Analyses for uronic acid showed that glycosaminoglycans comprised about 1% of isolated basement-membrane-like material. The carbohydrate composition indicated the presence of complex-type oligosaccharides in addition to hydroxylysine-linked disaccharides. [3H]Glucosamine-labelled glycopeptides obtained by proteinase digestion and gel filtration were resistant to endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase D, but more than 10% were susceptible to alpha-mannosidase, demonstrating the presence of high-mannose-type oligosaccharides. The distribution of carbohydrates among peptides of basement-membrane-like material on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis was investigated after labelling with [3H]mannose, [3H]fucose, [3H]galactose and [3H]glucosamine. Among peptides that appeared to carry carbohydrates were a proteoglycan(s) and seven glycoproteins in the molecular-weight range 120 000-700 000.     

Dopamine β-Hydroxylase and Other Glycoproteins from the Soluble Content and the Membranes of Adrenal Chromaffin Granules: Isolation and Carbohydrate Analysis

Abstract: Chromogranin A and two other proteins (A₁ and A₂) of the soluble proteins of bovine chromaffin granules were isolated by extraction from polyacrylamide gels after electrophoresis. The carbohydrate content of these proteins was 5%, with galactose, N -acetylgalactosamine, and sialic acid as the main sugars. Membranes of chromaffin granules were solubilized with sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and three glycoproteins were isolated by sequential affinity chromatography on Concanavalin A (Con A) and wheat germ lectin (WGL) Sepharose columns. Two glycoproteins, designated GP II and III, were found to have a high carbohydrate content of about 30%. Mannose, galactose, N -acetylgalactosamine, and sialic acid were the main sugars. In addition membrane-bound dopamine β-hydroxylase was isolated by this procedure. No significant differences between the carbohydrate composition of the membrane-bound and the soluble enzyme were revealed. It was shown that all four subunits of dopamine β-hydroxylase possess carbohydrate chains with an affinity for Con A. The isolation methods established in this study will be useful for immunological studies on these glycoproteins.     

Removal of carbohydrate from influenza A virus and its hemagglutinin and the effect on biological activities.

Treatment of influenza virus and its purified hemagglutining with glycosidases from Diplococcus pneumoniae, which included beta-galactosidase, beta-N-acetylglucosminidase, and endoglycosidase D, released amino and neutral sugars from the virus and these as well as large oligosaccharides from the purified hemagglutinin. The released glucosamine-containing oligosaccharides were of one discrete size. Large oligosaccharides not removed by the glycosidases were found on the virus as well as the hemagglutinin. Some oligosaccharides on the virus were inaccessible to the enzymes, since they could be removed only from the purified hemagglutinin. Approximately 50% of the hemagglutinin carbohydrates could be removed without effect on hemagglutinating activity. Similarly, removal of 20 to 25% of the carbohydrates from intact virus particles did not alter infectivity.     

Seed glycoproteins of Lupinus angustifolius

The seed globulins of Lupinus angustifolius are glycoproteins containing 1.4–1.9% (α-conglutin), 2.8–6.4 % (β-conglutin) and 1.2–3.8% (γ-conglutin) carbohydrate. The highest values were obtained after acid hydrolysis and determination by phenol—H₂SO₄, (α, γ-conglutins) or by methanolysis and sugar determination by GLC (β-conglutin). TCA denaturation of β- and γ-conglutins was necessary to remove adsorbed galactomannans before determination of glycoprotein carbohydrates. All 3 conglutins contained mannose, galactose and glucosamine, though the ratio of mannose to galactose, and to a lesser extent neutral sugars to hexosamine varied. Small amounts of fucose were found associated only with γ-conglutin.     

Analysis of the carbohydrate composition of glycoproteins by high-performance liquid chromatography

A procedure for rapid and sensitive analysis of carbohydrate in glycoproteins is described. After methanolysis and benzoylation of the monosaccharides and carbohydrates of a glycoprotein, the derivatized sugars were analyzed by reverse-phase high-performance chromatography using a Vydac C₁₈ stationary phase and a mobile phase composed of a water/acetonitrile gradient. The advantages of this procedure over previously described methods are (1) the simple binary solvent system which is used requires no buffering salts and (2) separate sets of peaks from individual sugars obviate the usual need to reacetylate sugar amino groups.     

Rapid intramolecular turnover of N-linked glycans in plasma membrane glycoproteins. Extension of intramolecular turnover to the core sugars in plasma membrane glycoproteins of hepatoma

Plasma membrane glycoproteins of rat hepatocytes undergo a rapid terminal deglycosylation in that the terminal sugars of the oligosaccharide side chains are rapidly removed from the otherwise intact glycoproteins [Tauber, R., Park, C.S. & Reutter, W. (1983) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 80, 4026-4029]. The present paper demonstrates that this rapid intramolecular turnover of plasma membrane glycoproteins is not restricted to peripheral sugars but, in contrast to liver, in hepatoma the core sugars of the oligosaccharide chains are also involved. Intramolecular turnover was measured in Morris hepatoma 7777 in five plasma membrane glycoproteins with Mr of 85,000 (hgp85), 105,000 (hgp105), 115,000 (hgp115), 125,000 (hgp125), 175,000 (hgp175) (hgp = hepatoma glycoprotein) that were isolated and purified to homogeneity by concanavalin-A--Sepharose affinity chromatography and semipreparative SDS gel electrophoresis. Analysis of the carbohydrates of hgp85, hgp105, hgp115 and hgp125 revealed the presence of N-linked oligosaccharides containing L-fucose, D-galactose, D-mannose and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, but only of trace amounts of N-acetyl-D-galactosamine; hgp175 additionally contained significant amounts of N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, indicating the presence of both N- and O-linked oligosaccharides. As shown by digestion with endoglucosaminidase H, the N-linked oligosaccharides of hgp105, hgp115, hgp125 and hgp175 were of the complex type, whereas hgp85 also contained oligosaccharides of the high-mannose type. Half-lives of the turnover of the oligosacharide chains and of the protein backbone of the five glycoproteins were measured in the plasma membrane in pulse-chase experiments in vivo, using L-[3H]fucose as a marker of terminal sugars, D-[3H]mannose as marker of a core sugar and L-[3H]leucine for labelling the protein backbone. Protein backbones of the five glycoproteins were degraded with individual half-lives ranging over 41-90 h with a mean of 66 h. Compared to the degradation of the polypeptide backbone, both the terminal sugar L-fucose and the core sugar D-mannose turned over with much shorter half-lives averaging about 20 h in the five glycoproteins. The data show that, conversely to liver, within plasma membrane glycoproteins of hepatoma not only peripheral sugars but also core sugars of the oligosaccharides are split off during the life-span of the protein backbone. It may therefore be assumed that this reprocessing of plasma membrane glycoproteins is sensitive to malignant transformation.     

Direct carbohydrate analysis of glycoproteins electroblotted onto polyvinylidene difluoride membrane from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel.

A procedure for the carbohydrate analysis of glycoproteins electrotransferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane is described. The glycoproteins (plant lectins, transferrin, and vitronectin) were first separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and then electroblotted onto a membrane. Each of the glycoprotein bands visualized by staining with Coomassie brilliant blue R-250 was excised from the membrane and subjected to direct hydrolysis either in 2.5 M trifluoroacetic acid at 100 degrees C for 6 h for neutral sugars and hexosamines, or in 0.05 M H2SO4 at 80 degrees C for 1 h for sialic acids. The hydrolysate obtained was analyzed for neutral sugars, hexosamines, and sialic acids independently by three different systems of high-performance liquid chromatography. The analytical values were reproducible with reasonable accuracy and agreed with those expected with recoveries of 57-66%. The method was successfully applied to a mannose-specific lectin of Sophora japonica bark, which is composed of four different subunits that aggregate sugar specifically. Because the four subunits could be separated by SDS-PAGE alone, the method proved useful for determining their carbohydrate compositions. Three of them were shown to contain carbohydrates typical of N-linked oligosaccharides of plant origin, which agreed well with the results of the binding assay carried out on a membrane using various horseradish peroxidase-labeled lectins.     

Plasmodium falciparum synthesizes O-glycosylated glycoproteins containing O-linked N-acetylglucosamine.

Asexual blood forms of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, synthesize a major glycosylated 195 kDa protein that has been considered for the development of a vaccine. beta-Elimination-borohydride reduction of the 195 kDa glycoprotein and its 16 kDa processed product after metabolic labeling of their carbohydrates, showed the presence of derived, labeled glucosaminitol and alanine. This suggests that the 195 and 16 kDa glycoproteins contain distinct O-glycosyl linkages and that N-acetylglucosamine and serine residues are involved in the attachment of carbohydrate moieties to the protein core. Endo-O-glycanase treatment of total glycoproteins shows that O-glycosidycally-linked sugars represent a major carbohydrate moiety in P. falciparum glycoproteins.     

Cell culture media supplementation of infrequently used sugars for the targeted shifting of protein glycosylation profiles

Mammalian cells in culture rely on sources of carbohydrates to supply the energy requirements for proliferation. In addition, carbohydrates provide a large source of the carbon supply for supporting various other metabolic activities, including the intermediates involved in the protein glycosylation pathway. Glucose and galactose, in particular, are commonly used sugars in culture media for these purposes. However, there exists a very large repertoire of other sugars in nature, and many that have been chemically synthesized. These sugars are particularly interesting because they can be utilized by cells in culture in distinct ways. In the present work it has been found that many infrequently used sugars, and the corresponding cellular response towards them as substrates, led to differences in the protein N‐glycosylation profile of a recombinant glycoprotein. The selective media supplementation of raffinose, trehalose, turanose, palatinose, melezitose, psicose, lactose, lactulose, and mannose were found to be capable of redirecting N‐glycan oligosaccharide profiles. Despite this shifting of protein glycosylation, there were no other adverse changes in culture performance, including both cell growth and cellular productivity over a wide range of supplemented sugar concentrations. The approach presented highlights a potential means towards both the targeted shifting of protein glycosylation profiles and ensuring recombinant protein comparability, which up to this point in time has remained under‐appreciated for these under‐utilized compounds. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:511–522, 2017