Studies on trypsin inhibitors. Part IV, Synthesis of the protected undecapeptide (sequence 25-35) of porcine pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor II (Kazal).

Synthesis is described of the protected undecapeptide tert-butyloxycarbonylisoleucyl-threonyltyrosylserylasparaginyl-gamma-tert-butylglutamyl-S-acetamidomethylcysteinyl-valylleucyl-S-acetamidomethylcysteinylseriny hydrazide corresponding to positions 25-35 of the amino acid sequence of porcine pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor II (Kazal). The hepatapeptide free base methyl asparaginyl-gamma-tert-butylglutamyl-S-acetamidomethylcysteinylvalylleucyl-S-acetamidomethylcysteinylserinate (sequency 29-35) was acylated, by the azide procedure, with the tetrapeptide tert-butyloxycarbonl-isoleucylthreonyltyrosylserine hydrazide /sequence 25-28) and the resulting tert-butyloxycarbonylundecapeptide methyl ester was transformed into the corresponding hydrazide by hydrazinolysis. The stereochemical homogeneity of the final product was assessed, after partial deprotection with aqueous 90% trifuoroacetic acid, by digestion with papain and aminopeptidase M followed by quantitative amino acid analysis.     

Interaction of anions with the active site of carboxypeptidase A

Studies of azide inhibition of peptide hydrolysis catalyzed by cobalt(II) carboxypeptidase A identify two anion binding sites. Azide binding to the first site (KI = 35 mM) inhibits peptide hydrolysis in a partial competitive mode while binding at the second site (KI = 1.5 M) results in competitive inhibition. The cobalt electronic absorption spectrum is insensitive to azide binding at the first site but shows marked changes upon azide binding to the second site. Thus, azide elicits a spectral change with new lambda max (epsilon M) values of 590 (330) and 540 nm (190) and a KD of 1.4 M, equal to the second kinetic KI value for the cobalt enzyme, indicating that anion binding at the weaker site involves an interaction with the active-site metal. Remarkably, in the presence of the C-terminal products of peptide or ester hydrolysis or carboxylate inhibitor analogues, anion (e.g., azide, cyanate, and thiocyanate) binding is strongly synergistic; thus, KD for azide decreases to 4 mM in the presence of L-phenylalanine. These ternary complexes have characteristic absorption, CD, MCD, and EPR spectra. The absorption spectra of azide/carboxylate inhibitor ternary complexes with Co(II)CPD display a near-UV band between 305 and 310 nm with epsilon M values around 900-1250 M-1 cm-1. The lambda max values are close to the those of the charge-transfer band of an aquo Co(II)-azide complex (310 nm), consistent with the presence of a metal azide bond in the enzyme complex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Enzymatic incorporation of orthogonally reactive prenylazide groups into peptides using geranylazide diphosphate via protein farnesyltransferase: implications for selective protein labeling

Protein farnesyltransferase (PFTase) catalyzes the attachment of a geranyl azide moiety to a peptide substrate, N-dansyl-Gly-Cys-Val-Ile-Ala-OH. The resulting azide-containing peptide was derivatized with a triphenylphosphine-based reagent to generate an O-alkyl imidate-linked product, rather than the amide-linked material expected via a Staudinger reaction. Since the CAAX box recognition motif (where the internal A residues are aliphatic amino acids) modified by PFTase can be incorporated into the C-terminus of virtually any polypeptide, this two-step procedure provides a general method for incorporating a diverse range of chemical modifications specifically near the C-terminus of proteins.     

Studies on cytochrome c. V. Synthesis of the protected decapeptide (sequence 57-66) of Baker's yeast iso-1-cytochrome c

The synthesis is described of the N-benzyloxycarbonyldecapeptide tert-butoxycarbonylhydrazide, which corresponds to the sequence 57–66 of baker's yeast iso-1-cytochrome c. The peptide derivative was synthesized coupling two smaller subunits via the Rudinger modified azide procedure.     

Studies towards the complete sequence determination of proteins by mass spectrometry: derivatisation of methionine, cysteine and arginine containing peptides

A number of methionine, pyrimidyl ornithine, and two carboxymethyl cysteine containing peptides have given easily interpretable mass spectra following acetylation, and permethylation using a reaction time of about 60 seconds. Using this procedure involatile “salt” formation was prevented in all cases. For arginine containing peptides, refined methods are described for producing high yields of the required derivative in both dicarbonyl condensation and hydrazinolysis reactions. In the latter case in particular, a number of acidic peptides have now been derivatised without extensive peptide bond cleavage and their sequences determined.     

Preparation of 18F-labeled peptides using the copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition

An optimized procedure for preparing fluorine-18 ((18)F)-labeled peptides by the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne 1,3-dipolar cyloaddition (CuAAC) is presented here. The two-step radiosynthesis begins with the microwave-assisted nucleophilic (18)F-fluorination of a precursor containing a terminal p-toluenesulfonyl, terminal azide and polyethylene glycol backbone. The resulting (18)F-fluorinated azide-containing building block is coupled to an alkyne-decorated peptide by the CuAAC. The reaction is accelerated by the copper(I)-stabilizing ligand bathophenanthroline disulfonate and can be performed in either reducing or nonreducing conditions (e.g., to preserve disulfide bonds). After an HPLC purification, (18)F-labeled peptide can be obtained with a 31 ± 6% radiochemical yield (n = 4, decay-corrected from (18)F-fluoride elution) and a specific activity of 39.0 ± 12.4 Ci μmol(-1) within 77 ± 4 min.     

Reactivity of pyrimidine nucleosides under the conditions of the pyrimidine sequencing reactions of Maxam and Gilbert

Several pyrimidine nucleosides and polydeoxyribonucleotides have been examined with respect to their ultraviolet absorption spectra and the kinetics of their decomposition under the conditions used in the C- and (C + T)-specific treatments of the sequencing procedure of Maxam and Gilbert. In hydrazine-water (56:44, v/v), at 20 degrees C, thymidine was found to be virtually fully ionized. Under these conditions, the susceptibility to hydrazinolysis decreased in the order N3-methylthymidine greater than uridine approximately equal to deoxyuridine greater than deoxycytidine approximately equal to polydeoxycytidylate greater than polythymidylate much greater than thymidine greater than 5-methyldeoxycytidine. Addition of sodium chloride to 1.5 M slightly accelerated hydrazinolysis of those nucleosides bearing nonionizable heterocyclic moieties and retarded hydrazinolysis severalfold for those nucleosides containing an ionizable aglycone (thymidine, deoxyuridine, uridine). It is concluded that the nucleosides of this latter class react with hydrazine largely or exclusively in their nonionized form and that the main effect of added salt is increased ionization of the heterocycles, resulting in a decreased population of nonionized nucleosides.     

Determination of the structure of the carbohydrate chains of prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase from sheep

Prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase was isolated from sheep seminal vesicles. Sugar analysis of the glycoprotein revealed the presence of mannose and N-acetylglucosamine only. The carbohydrate moiety was released from the polypeptide backbone by hydrazinolysis. After re-N-acetylation and reduction, the resulting mixture of oligosaccharide-alditols was fractionated on Bio-Gel P-4 and their structures were investigated by 500-MHz1H-NMR spectroscopy. The carbohydrate chains turned out to be of the oligomannoside type containing six to nine mannose residues. The largest and most abundant compound was established to be: (formula; see text) For the smaller structures heterogeneity occurs with respect to the outer alpha(1----2)-linked mannose residues. Furthermore, a small amount of Man6GlcNAc-ol (artefact of the hydrazinolysis procedure) was detected by 1H-NMR spectroscopy and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry.     

The mapping by high-pH anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection and capillary electrophoresis of the carbohydrate moieties of human plasma alpha 1-acid glycoprotein.

The reducing oligosaccharides released from alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) by conventional hydrazinolysis have been analyzed by two different mapping techniques, using high-pH anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAE-PAD) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) with uv detection at 190 nm. The CE measurements proved about 4000 times more sensitive than the measurements by HPAE-PAD. The N-glycan pool was fractionated by Mono Q anion-exchange chromatography, and individual fractions so obtained were desialylated using Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase. The resulting asialo-N-glycans were further analyzed by HPAE-PAD, revealing 2 major, 4 intermediate, and 4 small peaks and at least 3 spikes, which counted for at least 13 different asialo-N-glycans. The carbohydrate structures were tentatively assigned by comparison of the Mono Q-separated N-glycans with the known AGP carbohydrate structures and known structures contained in a mapping database that allows structural assignment of N-glycans by mere comparison of retention times. In addition to the hitherto known AGP carbohydrate structures, we have tentatively identified a number of sulfated N-glycans that are currently being analyzed in more detail. We have also compared the glycan pools recovered from AGP using hydrazinolysis and glycopeptidase F (PNGase F). Approximately 40 distinct peaks could be detected in the hydrazinolysis-derived N-glycan pool by either technique (HPAE-PAD and CE), while about 30 distinct peaks were detected in the N-glycan pool derived by PNGase F digestion of the tryptic AGP digest of the same batch of AGP. These differences were attributed to an increased desialylation (approximately 3 mol%) during hydrazinolysis, based on the detection by HPAE-PAD and CE of free sialic acid and monosialylated oligosaccharides in the glycan pool derived by conventional hydrazinolysis. The integrity of the N-glycans' chitobiose core was examined by 500-MHz 1H NMR spectoscopy. The hydrazinolysis procedure could be optimized such that the hydrazinolysis-derived N-glycan pool was chromatographically essentially identical to the PNGase F-derived N-glycan pool. Hydrazinolysis proved best, with practically no loss of N-acetlylneuraminic acid and the closest resemblance to the PNGase F-derived N-glycan pool, using an automated apparatus. Notably, it was recognized that, in our hands, PNGase F digestion in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate resulted in partial desialylation of the liberated N-glycans.     

Solid-phase synthesis of larger peptides by a new strategy of detachment from the resin

Attachment of the side-chain carboxyl of the protected aspartic or glutamic acid ester to the resin support has been established for the solid-phase synthesis of the asparagine or glutamine peptide. After further elongation of the α-amino deprotected resin-bound peptide ester with protected peptide fragments and the final detachment from the resin support by ammonolysis, the larger peptides containing, or preferably C-terminated with, asparagine or glutamine could be obtained. Thus, the C-peptide of human proinsulin was prepared by coupling to the resin-bound dipeptide derivative, Leu-Glu(OCH₂Ph®)·OtBu, with six fragments consecutively. It was obtained in an overall yield of 36% after detaching from the resin with alcoholic ammonia, followed by mild acidolysis, DEAE cellulose chromatography, and gel filtration. This procedure has now been applied to the synthesis of the C-terminal fragment of the insulin A chain ending in asparagine, and also to the synthesis of the threonine or serine peptide, where the anchorage to the resin was designed by the reaction of the sidechain hydroxyl with succinic anhydride in the presence of 4-dimethylaminopyridine to form the hemiester of succinic acid, which in turn was condensed to the aminomethyl resin by the DCC-HOBt procedure. Model experiments on the synthesis of the Z-Thr(CO-CH₂CH₂CONHCH₂Ph®)·OtBu and Bpoc-Lys(Boc)-Thr(COCH₂CH₂CONHCH₂Ph®)·OtBu, as well as their detachment from the resin by amminolysis or hydrazinolysis, have shown the potential for a milder process in the solid-phase synthesis of larger peptides.     

Glycoprotein of the wall of sycamore tissue-culture cells

1. A glycoprotein containing a large amount of hydroxyproline is present in the cell walls of sycamore callus cells. This protein is insoluble and remained in the alpha-cellulose when a mild separation procedure was used to obtain the polysaccharide fractions of the wall. The glycoprotein contained a high proportion of arabinose and galactose. 2. Soluble glycopeptides were prepared from the alpha-cellulose fraction when peptide bonds were broken by hydrazinolysis. The soluble material was fractionated by gel filtration and one glycopeptide was further purified by electrophoresis; it had a composition of 10% hydroxyproline, 35% arabinose and 55% galactose, and each hydroxyproline residue carried a glycosyl radical so that the oligosaccharides on the glycopeptide had an average degree of polymerization of 9. 3. The extraction of the glycopeptides was achieved without cleavage of glycosyl bonds, so that the glycoprotein cannot act as a covalent cross-link between the major polysaccharides of the wall. 4. The wall protein approximates in conformation to polyhydroxyproline and therefore it probably has similar physicochemical properties to polyhydroxyproline. This is discussed in relation to the function of the glycoprotein and its effect on the physical and chemical nature of the wall.     

A practical approach to N-glycan production by hydrazinolysis using hydrazine monohydrate

Hydrazinolysis is a versatile method to liberate N-linked glycans from glycoproteins. However, the method is usually performed with anhydrous hydrazine, a highly toxic and explosive chemical used in rocket fuel. Thus despite the need to produce functionally important glyco-materials, hydrazinolysis is limited to small scale (e.g., 0.2-1 mL) reactions. In the present study, we report an alternative procedure for hydrazinolysis using hydrazine monohydrate in place of anhydrous hydrazine. The developed procedure was applied to both purified glycoproteins (Taka-amylase and transferrin) and hen egg yolk protein fraction with comparable yields to the traditional method using anhydrous hydrazine. The sialyl linkage of alpha2-6disialobiantennary oligosaccharides proved to be fully stable. The developed procedure facilitated the large-scale preparation of N-linked glycans. The new method should make a substantial contribution to both small- and large-scale production of functional glycans, including therapeutically relevant human-type glycans.     

Comparison of two approaches for quantitative O-linked glycan analysis used in characterization of recombinant proteins

The principal aim of this study was to demonstrate the optimization and fine-tuning of quantitative and nonselective analysis of O-linked glycans released from therapeutic glycoproteins. Two approaches for quantitative release of O-linked glycans were examined: ammonia-based β-elimination and hydrazinolysis deglycosylation strategies. A significant discrepancy in deglycosylation activity was observed between the ammonia-based and hydrazinolysis procedures. Specifically, the release of O-glycans from glycoproteins was approximately 20 to 30 times more efficient with hydrazine compared with ammonia-based β-elimination reagent. In addition, the ammonia-based reagent demonstrated bias in the release of particular glycan species. A robust quantitative hydrazinolysis procedure was developed for characterization of O-glycans. The method performance parameters were evaluated. It was shown that this procedure is superior for quantitative nonselective release of O-glycans. Identity confirmation and structure elucidation of O-glycans from hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) fractions was also demonstrated using linear ion trap Fourier transform mass spectrometry (LTQ FT MS) with mass accuracy below 1 ppm.     

SPPS of protected peptidyl aminoalkyl amides.

Monophthaloyl diamines derived from naturally occurring amino acids were attached through their free amino functions to resins of the trityl type. The phthaloyl groups were removed by hydrazinolysis, and peptide chains were assembled using Fmoc/tBu-amino acids on the liberated amino functions. The peptidyl aminoalkyl amides obtained were cleaved from the resins by mild acidolysis, with the tBu-side chain protection remaining intact.     

Vapor-phase hydrazinolysis for microdetermination of carboxyl-terminal amino acids of proteins

The "vapor-phase" hydrazinolysis method was devised for the microdetermination of the carboxyl-terminal residue of a protein. With this method, a polypeptide sample is degraded with vaporized hydrazine. The optimum conditions for hen egg-white lysozyme were established to be 2 to 4 h at 90 or 100 degrees C, the recovery of the carboxyl-terminal leucine being about 70%. With this vapor-phase method, side reactions are reduced and the time of hydrazinolysis is shortened. The limit of quantitation for the carboxyl-terminus of a protein is about 50 pmol, as judged so far with hen egg-white lysozyme. The carboxyl-termini of several proteins were determined using this novel procedure.     

Recovery of intact 2-aminobenzamide-labeled O-glycans released from glycoproteins by hydrazinolysis

The initial step in quantitative analysis of O-linked glycans of glycoproteins is to release them in high yield, nonselectively, unmodified, and with a free reducing terminus. In contrast to other techniques, hydrazinolysis can meet these criteria. However, when analyzing pools of O-linked glycans as described in the accompanying article by L. Royle et al. (2002, Anal. Biochem. 304), some peeling of the glycans was observed. Critical steps in the sample preparation and glycan recovery were therefore evaluated by analyzing and identifying both intact O-glycans and degraded products. Synthetic O-glycopeptides were characterized by mass spectrometry. Released glycans were identical to those on the glycopeptide. O-Linked glycans from a range of glycoproteins of increasing complexity, namely, bovine serum fetuin, glycophorin A, and previously uncharacterized glycopeptides isolated from human salivary mucin Muc5B, were also analyzed. Quantitative analysis of the glycan profile confirmed that there was <2% peeling of O-glycans released by hydrazinolysis conditions of 60 degrees C for 6 h, and recovered using the optimised procedure now described. This demonstrated that O-glycans can be prepared by hydrazinolysis without degradation and, as part of an analytical strategy, makes the analysis of O-glycans attached to low-microgram levels of naturally occurring glycoproteins feasible.     

Protected natural peptides as intermediates for preparing semisynthetic peptides and protein analogs. Selective acylation of epsilon-amino groups in cyanogen bromide peptides of cytochrome c using azidoformates.

Treatment of CNBr peptides 66--80, 81--104 and 66--104 from cytochrome c with t-butyloxycarbonyl azide leads to selective acylation of the epsilon-amino groups of lysine residues and the phenolic hydroxyl groups of tyrosine residues with less than 25% acylation of the alpha-amino groups. Similar selectivity was obtained for reactions of benzyloxycarbonyl azide, p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl azide and p-methoxybenzyloxycarbonyl azide with peptide 81--104. All of these protective groups can be removed under mild conditions, and thus, the partially protected natural peptides are desirable intermediates for the preparation of semisynthetic peptides. Model condensation reactions of N alpha t-butyloxycarbonyl methionine N-hydroxysuccinimide ester with Z-protected peptide 81--104 produced a peptide corresponding to residues 80 to 104 of cytochrome c in 94% yield.     

Suppression of peeling during the release of O-glycans by hydrazinolysis

The analysis of O-glycans is essential for better understanding their functions in biological processes. Although many techniques for O-glycan release have been developed, the hydrazinolysis release method is the best for producing O-glycans with free reducing termini in high yield. This release technique allows the glycans to be labeled with a fluorophore and analyzed by fluorescence detection. Under the hydrazinolysis release conditions, a side reaction is observed and causes the loss of monosaccharides from the reducing terminus of the glycans (known as peeling). Using bovine fetuin (because it contains the sialylated O-glycans most commonly found on biopharmaceuticals) and bovine submaxillary gland mucin (BSM), here we demonstrate that peeling can be greatly reduced when the sample is buffer exchanged prior to hydrazinolysis with solutions of either 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) or low-molarity (100, 50, 20, and 5 mM) ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The addition of calcium chloride to fetuin resulted in an increase in peeling, whereas subsequent washing with EDTA abolished this effect, suggesting a role of calcium and possibly other cations in causing peeling. The presented technique for sample preparation prior to hydrazinolysis greatly reduces the level of undesirable cleavage products in O-glycan analysis and increases the robustness of the method.     

Studies on cytochrome c. Part III. Synthesis of the protected heneicosapeptide (sequence 24–44) of Baker's yeast iso-1-cytochrome c

Syntheses are described for two N-benzyloxycarbonylpeptide tert-butoxycarbonylhydrazides which correspond to positions 24–34 and 35–44, respectively, of the primary structure of baker's yeast iso-1-cytochrome c. The two peptide derivatives were coupled via the azide procedure to form the N-benzyloxycarbonylheneicosapeptide tert-butoxycarbonylhydrazide (sequence 24–44).     

A hydroxyproline-containing glycopeptide released from the walls of sycamore tissue-culture cells by hydrazinolysis

Degradation of the sycamore cell wall by hydrazinolysis yielded soluble glycopeptides. The peptide portion of the predominant glycopeptide was shown to be cyclic (4-trans-hydroxy-l-prolyl)-4-trans-hydroxy- l-proline. From this structure and the composition of the major glycopeptide it was deduced that only short oligosaccharides are attached to the hydroxyprolyl residues of the wall glycoprotein. Detailed evidence for the structure of the peptide is given in a supplementary paper that has been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50020, at the National Lending Library for Science and Technology, Boston Spa, Yorks. LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1973) 131, 5.