Influence of quaternary structure on glycosylation. Differential subunit association affects the site-specific glycosylation of the common beta-chain from Mac-1 and LFA-1

The influence of quaternary structure on glycosylation was evaluated in a macrophage-like cell line, P388D1. This cell line simultaneously synthesizes two structurally related glycoproteins, Mac-1 and LFA-1. Mac-1 and LFA-1 each contain two subunits in noncovalent association in an alpha 1 beta 1 structure. The beta-chain polypeptides of these two glycoproteins have identical primary structures while their alpha-chain polypeptides are distinct. For both Mac-1 and LFA-1, the association of the alpha- and beta-chains occurs prior to any Golgi-mediated processing of the oligosaccharide moieties on either one of the subunits. To evaluate the effects of differential subunit association on the site-specific glycosylation of the beta-chain, [3H]glucosamine-labeled oligosaccharides were isolated from the beta-chain of Mac-1 and LFA-1 and were compared by a variety of enzymatic and chromatographic techniques. Reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography analyses of tryptic-chymotryptic glycopeptides suggest that each beta-chain has at least five glycosylation sites. Structural analysis of oligosaccharides from each corresponding glycopeptide fraction of the beta-chains of Mac-1 or LFA-1 (comparing their glycosidase sensitivities, behavior on serial lectin affinity chromatography, size heterogeneity, extent of sialylation, and branching) indicates that the LFA-1 beta-chain is glycosylated substantially differently on at least four of its sites, compared to the corresponding sites of the Mac-1 beta-chain, even though they are simultaneously synthesized in the same cells. Thus, these data demonstrate that quaternary structure can influence the site-specific glycosylation of a protein, even when the polypeptide structure and the cellular glycosylation machinery remain constant.     

Site specific glycosylation patterns of H-2K: effects of allelic polymorphism and mitogenic stimulation

The site-specific glycosylation patterns of two H-2K alleles, k and b, were determined on splenic T cells metabolically labeled with [3H]mannose. Cells from B10, B10.A, (B10 X B10.A)F1, and C3H mice were examined, along with the effect of short- (8 hr) and long-term (36 hr) mitogenic stimulation. For both glycosylation sites (Asn86 and Asn176) of both antigens, 80% of the structures consisted of mono- and bisialylated biantennary N-linked complex oligosaccharides, with the remaining consisting of smaller (probably high mannose) structures. Asn176 of both H-2Kk and H-2Kb contained the same ratio (2.8 to 1) of bi- to monosialylated chains. However, Asn86 of H-2Kb contained a higher ratio (5 to 1), while Asn86 of H-2Kk a lower ratio (1.5 to 1). This difference was seen on antigens isolated from cells of the parental strains as well as from the F1 cross. The glycosylation of H-2Kk did not vary between B10.A and C3H mice. Mitogenic stimulation increased markedly both total [3H]mannose incorporation and the spectrum of N-linked oligosaccharides labeled. For H-2Kk, it had no effect on sialylation, but resulted in a slight under galactosylation of the monosialylated structures at both sites. A comparison of the patterns seen here, determined on nontransformed T cells, with those previously determined on H-2Kk from a B lymphoma line, revealed marked differences in sialylation and branching patterns at both sites. These data indicate that glycosylation differences may be found between highly homologous (91%) alleles of an H-2 gene, even when co-dominantly expressed by F1 cells; however, the patterns do change with mitogenic stimulation, and between normal and transformed cells.     

The effect of peptide deletions on the glycosylation of murine immunoglobulin M heavy chains

The glycosylation and processing of the asparagine-linked oligosaccharides at individual glycosylation sites on the mu-chain of murine immunoglobulin M were investigated using variant cell lines that synthesize and secrete IgM heavy chains with known peptide deletions. Normal murine IgM has five N-linked oligosaccharides in the constant region of each heavy or mu-chain. Each mu-chain has four complex-type oligosaccharides as well as a single high mannose-type oligosaccharide near the carboxyl terminus of the molecule. The peptide deletion of the C mu 1 constant region domain in the heavy chains synthesized by one variant cell line did not prevent subsequent glycosylation at more distal glycosylation sites. In fact, the presence of this deletion resulted in more complete glycosylation at the C-terminal glycosylation site. Evaluation of glycopeptides containing individual glycosylation sites by Concanavalin A-Sepharose indicated that this deletion had no significant effect on the processing of structures from high mannose-type to complex-type oligosaccharide chains. In contrast, a deletion of the C-terminal peptide region of the heavy chain of IgM synthesized by a second variant cell line resulted in intracellular processing to more highly branched oligosaccharide structures at several of the glycosylation sites not involved in the deletion.     

N-linked glycosylation profiling of pancreatic cancer serum using capillary liquid phase separation coupled with mass spectrometric analysis

Glycoproteins play important roles in various biological processes including intracellular transport, cell recognition, and cell-cell interactions. The change of the cellular glycosylation profile may have profound effects on cellular homeostasis and malignancy. Therefore, we have developed a sensitive screening approach for the comprehensive analysis of N-glycans and glycosylation sites on human serum proteins. Using this approach, N-linked glycopeptides were extracted by double lectin affinity chromatography. The glycans were enzymatically cleaved from the peptides and then profiled using capillary hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled online with ESI-TOF MS. The structures of the separated glycans were determined by MALDI quadrupole ion-trap TOF mass spectrometry in both positive and negative modes. The glycosylation sites were elucidated by sequencing of PNGase F modified glycopeptides using nanoRP-LC-ESI-MS/MS. Alterations of glycosylation were analyzed by comparing oligosaccharide expression of serum glycoproteins at different disease stages. The efficiency of this method was demonstrated by the analysis of pancreatic cancer serum compared to normal serum. Ninety-two individual glycosylation sites and 202 glycan peaks with 105 unique carbohydrate structures were identified from approximately 25 mug glycopeptides. Forty-four oligosaccharides were found to be distinct in the pancreatic cancer serum. Increased branching of N-linked oligosaccharides and increased fucosylation and sialylation were observed in samples from patients with pancreatic cancer. The methodology described in this study may elucidate novel, cancer-specific oligosaccharides and glycosylation sites, some of which may have utility as useful biomarkers of cancer.     

Correlation of glycosylation forms with position in amino acid sequence

We surveyed published reports on about 50 glycoproteins whose amino acid sequence, glycosylation sites, and type of glycosylation at a particular site have been established. We note that high-mannose substances were rarely found at the N-terminal side of a previously glycosylated complex site. There was a very definite distribution of complex sites about the N-terminal region. Furthermore, secreted glycoproteins usually contained only complex oligosaccharides whereas membrane proteins contained both types. We suggest that the position of the glycosylation site with respect to the N-terminus affects the extent of oligosaccharide processing and subsequent presentation of complex or high-mannose structures in the mature glycoprotein. This review relates glycosylation type to its position in the known sequence of given proteins and discusses these observations in light of known glycosylation processing reactions.     

Major carbohydrate structures at five glycosylation sites on murine IgM determined by high resolution 1H-NMR spectroscopy

Mouse myeloma immunoglobulin IgM heavy chains were cleaved with cyanogen bromide into nine peptide fragments, four of which contain asparagine-linked glycosylation. Three glycopeptides contain a single site, including Asn 171, 402, and 563 in the intact heavy chain. Another glycopeptide contains two sites at Asn 332 and 364. The carbohydrate containing fragments were treated with Pronase and fractionated by elution through Bio-Gel P-6. The major glycopeptides from each site were analyzed by 500 MHz 1H-NMR and the carbohydrate compositions determined by gas-liquid chromatography. The oligosaccharide located at Asn 171 is a biantennary complex and is highly sialylated. The amount of sialic acid varies, and some oligosaccharides contain alpha 1,3-galactose linked to the terminal beta 1,4-galactose. The oligosaccharides at Asn 332, Asn 364, an Asn 402 are all triantennary and are nearly completely sialylated on two branches and partially sialylated on the triantennary branch linked beta 1,4 to the core mannose. The latter is sialylated about 40% of the time for all three glycosylation sites. The major oligosaccharide located at Asn 563 is of the high mannose type. The 1H-NMR determination of structures at Asn 563 suggests that the high mannose oligosaccharide contains only three mannose residues.     

Analysis of N-linked glycosylation of hantaan virus glycoproteins and the role of oligosaccharide side chains in protein folding and intracellular trafficking

The membrane glycoproteins Gn and Gc of Hantaan virus (HTNV) (family Bunyaviridae) are modified by N-linked glycosylation. The glycoproteins contain six potential sites for the attachment of N-linked oligosaccharides, five sites on Gn and one on Gc. The properties of the N-linked oligosaccharide chains were analyzed by treatment with endoglycosidase H, peptide:N-glycosidase F, tunicamycin, and deoxynojirimycin and were confirmed to be completely of the high-mannose type. Ten glycoprotein gene mutants were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis, including six single N glycosylation site mutants and four double-site mutants. We determined that four sites (N134, -235, -347, and -399) on Gn and the only site (N928) on Gc in their ectodomains are utilized, whereas the fifth site on Gn (N609), which faces the cytoplasm, is not glycosylated. The importance of individual N-oligosaccharide chains varied with respect to folding and intracellular transport. The oligosaccharide chain on residue N134 was found to be crucial for protein folding, whereas single mutations at the other glycosylation sites were better tolerated. Mutation at glycosylation sites N235 and N399 together resulted in Gn misfolding. The endoplasmic reticulum chaperones calnexin and calreticulin were found to be involved in HTNV glycoprotein folding. Our data demonstrate that N-linked glycosylation of HTNV glycoproteins plays important and differential roles in protein folding and intracellular trafficking.     

Tissue-specific N-glycosylation, site-specific oligosaccharide patterns and lentil lectin recognition of rat Thy-1.

To examine the extent to which protein structure and tissue-type influence glycosylation, we have determined the oligosaccharide structures at each of the three glycosylation sites (Asn-23, 74 and 98) of the cell surface glycoprotein Thy-1 isolated from rat brain and thymus. The results show that there is tissue-specificity of glycosylation and that superimposed on this is a significant degree of site-specificity. On the basis of the site distribution of oligosaccharides, we find that no Thy-1 molecules are in common between the two tissues despite the amino acid sequences being identical. We suggest, therefore, that by controlling N-glycosylation a tissue creates an unique set of glycoforms (same polypeptide but with oligosaccharides that differ either in sequence or disposition). The structures at each of the three sites were also determined for the thymocyte Thy-1 that binds to lentil lectin (Thy-1 L+) and for that which does not (Thy-1 L-). Segregation of intact thymus Thy-1 into two distinct sets of glycoforms by lentil lectin was found to be due to the structures at site 74. Analysis of oligosaccharide structures at the 'passenger' sites (23 and 98) suggests that either Thy-1 L+ and Thy-1 L- molecules are made in different cell-types or that the biosynthesis of oligosaccharides at one site is influenced by the glycosylation at other sites.     

Large-scale preparation and characterization of N-linked glycopeptides from bovine fetuin.

A preparative scheme has been developed to purify asialo-glycopeptides from each of the three N-linkage sites of bovine fetuin, allowing the isolation of 100-mumols quantities of asialo-glycopeptides from 20 g of fetuin. The procedure yields seven asialo-glycopeptides which were determined to be 95% homogenous in peptide and oligosaccharide structure. The isolation scheme uses two high-capacity reverse-phase eluant systems. The primary RP-HPLC purification performed with boric acid buffered to pH 7 with triethylamine resolved sialylated tryptic glycopeptides simultaneously on the basis of glycosylation site and degree of sialylation. A second RP-HPLC purification was performed eluting isocratically with dilute phosphoric acid which resolved residual peptide and oligosaccharide heterogeneity from asialo-glycopeptides containing short peptides. Structural characterization of the products was performed utilizing 400-MHz proton NMR spectroscopy and amino acid and monosaccharide analysis. The glycopeptides contain two previously identified variant triantennary oligosaccharides which possess either Gal beta(1----4) or Gal beta(1----3) linkages to N-acetylglucosamine at one terminal branch or a biantennary oligosaccharide. These compounds should prove to be invaluable in studying carbohydrate-protein interactions, such as binding by the Gal/GalNAc lectin of mammalian hepatocytes, in the detailed three-dimensional structural analysis of complex oligosaccharides, and as purified substrates for the study of the action of glycoconjugate-modifying enzymes.     

N-Linked oligosaccharides of the H-2Dk histocompatibility protein heavy chain influence its transport and cellular distribution

The H-2K and H-2D proteins encoded by the K and D region of the major histocompatibility complex of the mouse were isolated by immunoprecipitation with specific antisera and resolved by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Of these two polypeptides, the H-2Dk glycoproteins isolated from macrophages of C3H/HeHa mice exhibit distinct cell surface and cytoplasmic forms although they share a strong degree of homology in the polypeptide backbone. Structurally they differ in their oligosaccharide structures. The structure of the oligosaccharides on the intracellular forms is of the high mannose type while the same structures on the cell surface forms are of the complex type. In the absence of all three oligosaccharide side chains, the unglycosylated polypeptides are expressed on the cell surface. In contrast, polypeptides containing one, two, or all three oligosaccharide side chains of the high mannose type are not transported to the cell surface. Cell surface expression of these glycoproteins requires processing of the oligosaccharide side chains from the high mannose form to the complex type. However, not all oligosaccharide antennae have to be terminally modified since H-2Dk glycoproteins synthesized in the presence of oligosaccharide-processing enzyme inhibitors such as swainsonine or monensin are also transported to the cell surface. H-2Dk glycoproteins containing oligosaccharide structures of the complex type but lacking terminal sialic acids are found on the cell surface, suggesting that sialylation is not required for transport. These results indicate that the oligosaccharide structures of the H-2Dk glycoproteins act to influence their cellular distribution.     

A new computer program (GlycoX) to determine simultaneously the glycosylation sites and oligosaccharide heterogeneity of glycoproteins

A new computer program, GlycoX, was developed to aid in the determination of the glycosylation sites and oligosaccharide heterogeneity in glycoproteins. After digestion with the nonspecific protease, each glycan at a specific glycosylation site contains a small peptide tag that identifies the location of the glycan. GlycoX was developed in MATLAB requiring the entry of the exact masses of the glycopeptide and the glycan spectra in the form of a mass-intensity table and taking advantage of the accurate mass capability of the mass analyzer, in this case a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT ICR) mass spectrometer. This program computes not only the glycosylation site but also the composition of the glycans at each site. Several glycoproteins were used to determine the efficacy of GlycoX. These glycoproteins range from the simple, with one site of glycosylation, to the more complex, with multiple (three) sites of glycosylation. The results obtained using the computer program were the same as those determined manually. Model glycoproteins yielded the correct results, and new glycoproteins with unknown glycosylation were examined with the site of glycosylation and the corresponding glycans determined. Furthermore, other functions in GlycoX, including an auto-isotope filter to identify monoisotopic peaks and an oligosaccharide calculator to obtain the oligosaccharide composition, are demonstrated.     

Hazelhurst-vesicular-stomatitis-virus G and Sindbis-virus E1 glycoproteins undergo similar host-cell-dependent variation in oligosaccharide processing.

We have examined and compared the host-cell-dependent glycosylation of the G glycoprotein of vesicular-stomatitis virus (Hazelhurst strain) and the E1 and E2 glycoproteins of Sindbis virus replicated by baby-hamster kidney, chicken-embryo fibroblast and mouse L929 monolayer cell cultures. The results of endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H digestion of viral proteins labelled with [3H]mannose or leucine and Pronase-digested glycopeptides labelled with [3H]mannose indicated that both the G protein and the E1 protein contained a similar mixture of endoglycosidase-resistant oligosaccharides of the complex acidic type and less extensively processed endoglycosidase-sensitive oligosaccharides of the neutral or hybrid type, with a relatively greater content of the endoglycosidase-sensitive oligosaccharides for virus replicated in the chicken as against hamster or mouse cells. A large fraction of the G protein and the majority of the E1 proteins from the mammalian host cells contained acidic-type oligosaccharides at both glycosylation sites, whereas most of the G and E1 glycoproteins from the avian host cells and essentially all of the E2 protein from all three host-cell types contained an acidic-type oligosaccharide at one site and neutral- or hybrid-type oligosaccharide at the other site. The relative increase in neutral- and hybrid-type oligosaccharides with five-mannose core structures observed for the G and E1 proteins of virus released from the avian host cells suggested that two specific steps in oligosaccharide processing (mediated by alpha-mannoside II and N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I) were less efficient at one of the glycosylation sites of the vesicular-stomatitis-virus G protein and Sindbis-virus E1 protein in the avian as against mammalian host cells.     

Oligosaccharides of the Hazelhurst vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein are more extensively processed in Rous sarcoma virus-transformed baby hamster kidney cells

Because of the extensive oligosaccharide heterogeneity of the membrane glycoprotein (G) from the Hazelhurst strain of vesicular stomatitis virus, this virus has been used as a specific intracellular probe of altered protein glycosylation in Rous sarcoma virus-transformed versus normal baby hamster kidney cells. Over 70% of G protein from virus released from the transformed cells had acidic-type oligosaccharides at both glycosylation sites, compared to less than 50% from the corresponding normal host cells. The remaining G protein contained an acidic-type oligosaccharide at one site and an endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H-sensitive oligosaccharide at the other. The major endoglycosidase-sensitive species were sialylated hybrid-type (NeuNAc-Gal-GlcNAc-Man5GlcNAc2-Asn) from the transformed and neutral-type (Man5-6GlcNAc2-Asn) from the normal host cells. The degree of branching of the acidic-type oligosaccharides was not increased in the transformed cells (approx. 80% biantennary for viral G protein from both cell types). At a reduced growth temperature (24 versus 37 degrees C), the G protein oligosaccharides were more extensively processed in both cell types (approximately 85-95% of G protein contained acidic-type structures at both sites), even though the level of viral protein synthesis and virus release was decreased. Essentially all of the minor, endoglycosidase-sensitive oligosaccharides on mature viral G protein were sialic acid-containing hybrid-type structures. At 24 degrees C the branching of the acidic-type oligosaccharides was increased in the virus released from the transformed cells versus normal cells.     

Dissecting glycoprotein biosynthesis by the use of specific inhibitors

It is possible to interfere with different steps in the dolichol pathway of protein glycosylation and in the processing of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. Thus some clues about the role of protein-bound carbohydrate can be obtained by comparing the biochemical fates and functions of glycosylated proteins with their non-glycosylated counterparts, or with proteins exhibiting differences in the type of oligosaccharide side chains. Cells infected with enveloped viruses are good systems for studying both aspects of protein glycosylation, since they contain a limited number of different glycoproteins, often with well-defined functions. Tunicamycin, an antibiotic, as well as several sugar analogues have been found to act as inhibitors of protein glycosylation by virtue of their anti-viral properties. They interfere with various steps in the dolichol pathway resulting in a lack of functional lipid-linked oligosaccharide precursors. Compounds that interfere with oligosaccharide trimming represent a second generation of inhibitors of glycosylation. They are glycosidase inhibitors that interfere with the processing glucosidases and mannosidases and, as a result, the conversion of high-mannose into complex-type oligosaccharides is blocked. Depending upon the compound used, glycoproteins contain glucosylated-high-mannose, high-mannose or hybrid oligosaccharide structures instead of complex ones. The biological consequences of the alterations caused by the inhibitors are manifold: increased susceptibility to proteases, improper protein processing and misfolding of polypeptide chains, loss of biological activity and alteration of the site of virus-budding, to name but a few.     

Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of eel calcitonin glycosylated at two sites with the same and different carbohydrate structures

Naturally occurring glycopeptides and glycoproteins usually contain more than one glycosylation site, and the structure of the carbohydrate attached is often different from site to site. Therefore, synthetic methods for preparing peptides and proteins that are glycosylated at multiple sites, possibly with different carbohydrate structures, are needed. Here, we report a chemo-enzymatic approach for accomplishing this. Complex-type oligosaccharides were introduced to the calcitonin derivatives that contained two N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) residues at different sites by treatment with Mucor hiemalis endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase. Using this enzymatic transglycosylation reaction, three glycopeptides were produced, a calcitonin derivative with the same complex-type carbohydrate at two sites, and two calcitonin derivatives each with one complex-type carbohydrate and one GlcNAc. Starting from the derivatives with one complex-type carbohydrate and one GlcNAc, a high-mannose-type oligosaccharide was successfully transferred to the remaining GlcNAc using another endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase from Arthrobacter protophormiae. Thus, we were able to obtain glycopeptides containing not only two complex-type carbohydrates, but also both complex and high-mannose-type oligosaccharides in a single molecule. Using the resultant glycosylated calcitonin derivatives, the effects of di-N-glycosylation on the structure and the activity of calcitonin were studied. The effect appeared to be predictable from the results of mono-N-glycosylated calcitonin derivatives.     

N-glycosylation site mapping of human serotransferrin by serial lectin affinity chromatography, fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

This report describes the N-glycosylation site mapping of human serotransferrin (h-STF). Reduced and S-carboxymethylated h-STF was digested with trypsin or chymotrypsin. Glycopeptides in the proteolytic digests were isolated by serial concanavalin A (Con A), Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA), and Phaseolus vulgaris leukoagglutinin (LPHA) affinity chromatography and subjected to preliminary analysis by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The glycopeptide fractions were then individually digested with N-glycanase. One part of the digest of each fraction was analyzed by fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) to identify the peptide sequences of the glycosylation sites. The other part was used to isolate the oligosaccharide by the corresponding lectin affinity chromatography and to characterize the structures of the isolated oligosaccharides by 1H NMR spectroscopy and FAB-MS. The oligosaccharides in the Con A-bound fraction were shown to have bi-alpha(2-->6)-sialyl, diantennary structures. The SNA-bound fraction was shown to contain trisialyl, triantennary structures. Di- and triantennary oligosaccharides were found to occur on each of the two N-glycosylation sites of h-STF (Asn413 and Asn611) in the ratio of approximately 85:15. The SNA-bound glycopeptides were further fractionated by LPHA affinity chromatography. Two different oligosaccharides were characterized, namely, a trisialyl 2,4-triantennary and a trisialyl 2,6-triantennary glycan. The ratio of 2,4-triantennary vs 2,6-triantennary oligosaccharides attached to glycosylation site Asn413 was found to be approximately 5:1, whereas the two isomeric triantennary oligosaccharides were found to be attached to glycosylation site Asn611 in the ratio approximately 1:1.     

Engineering Chinese hamster ovary cells to maximize sialic acid content of recombinant glycoproteins.

We have engineered two Chinese hamster ovary cell lines secreting different recombinant glycoproteins to express high levels of human beta1,4-galactosyltransferase (GT, E.C. 2.4.1.38) and/or alpha2, 3-sialyltransferase (ST, E.C. 2.4.99.6). N-linked oligosaccharide structures synthesized by cells overexpressing the glycosyltransferases showed greater homogeneity compared with control cell lines. When GT was overexpressed, oligosaccharides terminating with GlcNAc were significantly reduced compared with controls, whereas overexpression of ST resulted in sialylation of >/=90% of available branches. As expected, GT overexpression resulted in reduction of oligosaccharides terminating with GlcNAc, whereas overexpression of ST resulted in sialylation of >/=90% of available branches. The more highly sialylated glycoproteins had a significantly longer mean residence time in a rabbit model of pharmacokinetics. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility of genetically engineering cell lines to produce therapeutics with desired glycosylation patterns.     

Glycosylation and intracellular transport of membrane glycoproteins encoded by murine leukemia viruses. Inhibition by amino acid analogues and by tunicamycin

Addition of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides to nascent murine leukemia virus (MuLV)-encoded membrane glycoproteins was inhibited either completely by tunicamycin or specifically at Asn-X-Thr glycosylation sites by incorporation of the threonine analogue beta-hydroxynorvaline. In conditions of partial analogue substitution, a series of subglycosylated components is formed which are related by a constant apparent Mr difference when assayed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The total number of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides is then estimated by dividing the measured apparent Mr of one oligosaccharide into the total apparent Mr difference between the complete glycoprotein and the polypeptide chain that is synthesized in cells incubated with tunicamycin. Correct results were obtained using glycoproteins with known numbers of oligosaccharides. Our analyses indicate that the gp70 membrane envelope glycoproteins of certain ecotropic MuLVs contain seven oligosaccharides, whereas the GIX+ antigen-containing variant gp70 contains one fewer Asn-X-Thr-linked oligosaccharide. The membrane glycoprotein encoded by the gag gene of Friend MuLV contains only one asparagine-linked oligosaccharide. Similarly, the gp55 membrane glycoprotein encoded by Friend erythroleukemia virus contains four asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. Pulse-chase and cell surface iodination analyses indicate that MuLV membrane envelope glycoprotein processing by partial proteolysis and transport to the cell surface can be efficiently blocked by structural perturbations caused by incorporation of different amino acid analogues or by loss of oligosaccharides. Our data also suggest that loss of oligosaccharides may expose new antigenic sites in viral membrane glycoproteins and increase their susceptibility to intracellular proteolysis.     

The asparagine-linked oligosaccharides on tissue factor pathway inhibitor terminate with SO4-4GalNAc beta 1, 4GlcNAc beta 1,2 Mana alpha.

Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) produced by endothelial cells contains sulfated Asn-linked oligosaccharides. We have determined that greater than 70% of the oligosaccharides on recombinant TFPI expressed in 293 cells terminate with the sequence SO4-4GalNAc beta 1, 4GlcNAc beta 1, 2Man alpha. Oligosaccharides terminating with this sequence have previously been described on lutropin, thyrotropin, and pro-opiomelanocortin: glycoproteins synthesized in the anterior pituitary. A GalNAc-transferase that recognizes the tripeptide motif Pro-Xaa-Arg/Lys 6-9 residues N-terminal to Asn glycosylation sites accounts for the specific addition of GalNAc to the oligosaccharide acceptor on these glycoproteins, whereas a GalNAc beta 1,4GlcNAc beta 1, 2Man alpha-4-sulfotransferase accounts for the addition of sulfate. The sulfated oligosaccharides present on these hormones are responsible for their rapid clearance from plasma by a receptor in hepatic reticuloendothelial cells. GalNAc- and sulfotransferase activities with the same properties as those expressed in the pituitary are detected at high levels in 293 cells and at lower levels in endothelial cells. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells do not contain detectable levels of either transferase and rTFPI expressed in CHO cells does not contain sulfated Asn-linked oligosaccharides. TFPI contains the sequence Pro-Phe-Lys, 9 residues N-terminal to the glycosylation site at position 228; this tripeptide may act as the recognition sequence for the GalNAc-transferase. rTFPI produced by 293 cells, but not that produced by CHO cells, is bound by the receptor on hepatic reticuloendothelial cells suggesting the sulfated structures play a role in the biologic behavior of TFPI.     

Structural characterization of the oligosaccharides of a human monoclonal anti-lipopolysaccharide immunoglobulin M

The oligosaccharide side chains of a human anti-lipopolysaccharide IgM produced by a human-human-mouse heterohybridoma were analyzed at each of its five conserved N-glycosylation sites. This antibody also has a potential sixth N-glycosylation site in the variable region of its heavy chain which is not glycosylated. The oligosaccharides were released by digestion with various endo- and exoglycosidases and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis. The antibody has various complex- and hybrid-type oligosaccharide structures at Asn 171, various sialylated complex-type oligosaccharides at Asn 332 and 395, and high-mannose-type oligosaccharides at Asn 402 and 563. Of note is the presence in this human IgM of oligosaccharides containing N-glycolylneuraminic acid and N-acetylneuraminic acid in the ratio of 98:2 as determined using anion- exchange chromatography. Furthermore, we observed oligosaccharide structures containing Gal alpha (1,3)Gal that have not been reported as components of human glycoproteins.