Visualization of Sialidase Activity in Mammalian Tissues and Cancer Detection with a Novel Fluorescent Sialidase Substrate

Sialidase removes sialic acid from sialoglycoconjugates and plays crucial roles in many physiological and pathological processes. Various human cancers express an abnormally high level of the plasma membrane-associated sialidase isoform.Visualization of sialidase activity in living mammalian tissues would be useful not only for understanding sialidase functions but also for cancer diagnosis. However, since enzyme activity of mammalian sialidase is remarkably weak compared with that of bacterial and viral sialidases, it has been difficult to detect sialidase activity in mammalian tissues. We synthesized a novel benzothiazolylphenol-based sialic acid derivative (BTP-Neu5Ac) as a fluorescent sialidase substrate. BTP-Neu5Ac can visualize sialidase activities sensitively and selectively in acute rat brain slices. Cancer cells implanted orthotopically in mouse colons and human colon cancers (stages T3-T4) were also clearly detected with BTP-Neu5Ac. The results suggest that BTP-Neu5Ac is useful for histochemical imaging of sialidase activities.     

Chinese hamster ovary cells with constitutively expressed sialidase antisense RNA produce recombinant DNase in batch culture with increased sialic acid

Under some cell culture conditions, recombinant glycoprotein therapeutics expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells lose sialic acid during the course of the culture (Sliwkowski et al., 1992; Munzert et al., 1996). A soluble sialidase of CHO cell origin degrades the expressed recombinant protein and has been shown to be released into the culture fluid as the viability of the cells decreases. To reduce the levels of the sialidase and to prevent desialylation of recombinant protein, a CHO cell line has been developed that constitutively expresses sialidase antisense RNA. Several antisense expression vectors were prepared using different regions of the sialidase gene. Co-transfection of the antisense constructs with a vector conferring puromycin resistance gave rise to over 40 puromycin resistant clones that were screened for sialidase activity. A 5' 474 bp coding segment of the sialidase cDNA, in the inverted orientation in an SV 40-based expression vector, gave maximal reduction of the sialidase activity to about 40% wild-type values. To test if this level of sialidase would lead to increased sialic acid content of an expressed recombinant protein, the 474 antisense clone was employed as a host for expression of human DNase as a model glycoprotein. The sialic acid content of the DNase produced in the antisense cultures was compared with material made in the wild-type parental cell line. About 20-37% increase in sialic acid content, or 0.6-1.1 mole of additional sialic acid out of a total of 3.0 mole on the product, was found on the DNase made in the antisense cell lines.     

THE ACTION OF CALF BRAIN SIALIDASE ON GANGLIOSIDES, SIALOGLYCOPROTEINS AND SIALOGLYCOPEPTIDES

Abstract— In agreement with other investigators it has been shown that endogenous as well as added gangliosides are a substrate for brain sialidase. The release of sialic acid was enhanced in the presence of Triton X-100; this might be due to the action of the detergent on the ganglioside micelles. The sialic acid release from endogenous gangliosides was observed over 48 h and compared with the effect of the sialidase on the endogenous glycoproteins. Though the hydrolysis of sialic acid from gangliosides is much faster in the first hours, after 48 h 40 per cent of the total bound sialic was released from both substrates at pH 4.0 and 37°C.
Sialoglycopeptides obtained from brain glycoproteins are also metabolized by the sialidase. No effect of Triton X-100 on this substrate has been observed. From sialoglycopeptides, fractions can be obtained by DEAE-Sephadex A-50 column chromatography with a sialic acid content from 8 to 26 per cent. The fractions with a high sialic acid content were about equally active towards brain sialidase as gangliosides. The results agree with the similar turnover rate observed for the carbohydrate chains from gangliosides and glycoproteins, but are in contrast to the observations of other investigators who have stated that glycoproteins are a poor substrate for brain sialidase. In our experiments bovine and ovine submaxillary mucins and sialyl-lactoses showed only slight activity compared to gangliosides and selected brain sialoglycopeptides.     

Sialidase assay by luminescence in the low picomole-range of sialic acid. Its application to the measurement of this activity in influenza virus

A new procedure for a sialidase assay, by bioluminescence, has been developed. The substrate, N- acetylneuraminyllactose (sialyllactose), hydrolysed by the sialidase activity, releases lactose. This lactose is hydrolysed with beta-galactosidase. The released galactose is oxidized with galactose dehydrogenase and NAD. The NADH produced in the last step is measured by a luminescence system, coupling two enzymes, NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (FMN) and luciferase. This microassay, which is specific, rapid, simple and ultra-sensitive, is a measure for amounts as little as (at least) 5 pmol of N-acetylneuraminic acid (corresponding to 0.15 ng of the released sialic acid). It uses commercialized reagents (non-radioisotopic) and avoids interferences common in other procedures. This method has been used for measuring sialidase activity directly on intact virus, avoiding inconvenient modifications produced in the extraction of the enzyme. The specific activity of sialidase of influenza virus X31 (H3N2), determined by this procedure, is 0.65 U/mg of total virus protein.     

Cell surface sialic acid and the regulation of immune cell interactions: the neuraminidase effect reconsidered

It has been known for over a decade that sialidase (neuraminidase) treatment could substantially enhance the capacity of resting B cells to stimulate the proliferation of allogeneic and antigen specific, syngeneic T cells. Thus, cell-surface sialic acid was implicated as a potential modulator of immune cell interaction. However, little progress has been made in either identifying explicit roles for sialic acid in this system or in hypothesizing mechanisms to explain the "neuraminidase effect." Here we show for the first time that cell surface sialic acid on medium incubated B cells blocks access to costimulatory molecules on the B cell surface, and that this is the most likely explanation for the neuraminidase effect. Further, we show that it is likely to be upregulation of ICAM-1 and its subsequent engagement of LFA-1 rather than loss of cell surface sialic acid that in part regulates access to CD86 and other costimulatory molecules. However, we cannot exclude a role for CD86-bound sialic acid on the B cell in modulating binding to T cell CD28. Because sialidase treatment of resting B cells but not resting T cells enables T cell activation, we suggest that sialidase treatment may still be an analogue for an authentic step in B cell activation, and show that for highly activated B cells (activated with polyclonal anti-IgM plus INF-gamma) there is specific loss 2, 6-linked sialic acid. Potential roles for sialic acid in modulating B cell/T cell collaboration are discussed.     

Episialin acts as an antiadhesive factor in an in vitro model of human endometrial-blastocyst attachment

Episialin, which is found on the apical membrane of human endometrial epithelium, has been postulated to act as an antiadhesive factor through the steric hindrance generated by its extensively glycosylated structure. The present studies were designed to test this hypothesis in an in vitro model of endometrial-blastocyst attachment. Episialin was expressed in human endometrial carcinoma cells (HEC-1A > RL95-2), and attachment of JAr choriocarcinoma cells to the endometrial cell monolayers was inversely related to episialin expression. Treatment of endometrial monolayers with type III sialidase increased JAr binding, and this increase was suppressed by HMFG1, a monoclonal antibody specific for episialin. The effects of sialidase appear to have resulted from a contaminant protease rather than from a loss of sialic acid residues, because sialidase preparations other than type III were ineffective. After sialidase treatment, conditioned medium from cells treated with type III sialidase contained more episialin than medium from cells treated with other sialidase preparations. Similar attachment-assay results were obtained using O-sialoglycoprotein endopeptidase; after treatment, the increase in JAr binding (>50%) was suppressed by the antiepisialin antibody. These results demonstrate for the first time that episialin acts as an antiadhesive agent in a model of human endometrial-blastocyst attachment.     

Procyclic Trypanosoma brucei expresses separate sialidase and trans-sialidase enzymes on its surface membrane

The procyclic stage of Trypanosoma brucei in the insect vector expresses a surface-bound trans-sialidase (TbTS) that transfers sialic acid from glycoconjugates in the environment to glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins on its surface membrane. RNA interference against TbTS abolished trans-sialidase activity in procyclic cells but did not diminish sialidase activity, suggesting the presence of a separate sialidase enzyme for hydrolyzing sialic acid. A search of the T. brucei genome sequence revealed seven other putative genes encoding proteins with varying similarity to TbTS. RNA interference directed against one of these proteins, TbSA C, greatly decreased the sialidase activity but had no effect on trans-sialidase activity. The deduced amino acid sequence of TbSA C shares only 40% identity with TbTS but conserves most of the relevant residues required for catalysis. However, the sialidase has a tryptophan substitution for a tyrosine at position 170 that is crucial in binding the terminal galactose that accepts the transferred sialic acid. When this same tryptophan substitution in the sialidase was placed into the recombinant trans-sialidase, the mutant enzyme lost almost all of its trans-sialidase activity and increased its sialidase activity, further confirming that the gene and protein identified correspond to the parasite sialidase. Thus, in contrast to all other trypanosomes analyzed to date that express either a trans-sialidase or a sialidase but not both, T. brucei expresses these two enzymatic activities in two separate proteins. These results suggest that African trypanosomes could regulate the amount of critical sialic acid residues on their surface by modulating differential expression of each of these enzymes.     

Free‐energy computations identify the mutations required to confer trans‐sialidase activity into Trypanosoma rangeli sialidase

Trypanosoma rangeli's sialidase (TrSA) and Trypanosoma cruzi's trans‐sialidase (TcTS) are members of the glycoside hydrolase family 33 (GH‐33). They share 70% of sequence identity and their crystallographic C_α RMSD is 0.59 Å. Despite these similarities they catalyze different reactions. TcTS transfers sialic acid between glycoconjugates while TrSA can only cleave sialic acid from sialyl‐glyconjugates. Significant effort has been invested into unraveling the differences between TrSA and TcTS, and into conferring TrSA with trans‐sialidase activity through appropriate point mutations. Recently, we calculated the free‐energy change for the formation of the covalent intermediate (CI) in TcTS and performed an energy decomposition analysis of that process. In this article we present a similar study for the formation of the CI in TrSA, as well as in a quintuple mutant (TrSA_5mut), which has faint trans‐sialidase activity. The comparison of these new results with those previously obtained for TcTS allowed identifying five extra mutations to be introduced in TrSA_5mut that should create a mutant (TrSA_10mut) with high trans‐sialidase activity. Proteins 2014; 82:424–435. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Characteristics of sialidase in the rat salivary glands

Using 4-methylumbelliferyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid (4MU-NeuAc) as substrate, we measured sialidase activity in the salivary glands and other organs of the rat. The pH optima of salivary gland sialidase were between 4.0 and 4.5, which were similar to those of the enzyme in the brain, liver and kidney. Among the salivary glands, the submandibular one showed the highest sialidase activity followed by the parotid and the sublingual glands. However, sialidase activity in these glands was lower when compared with the activity in the brain, liver and kidney. From the subcellular distribution study, salivary gland sialidase was found to be mainly localized in the lysosomes. The pH optima of the lysosomal sialidase of the salivary glands were between 4.0 and 4.5; and Km values for 4MU-NeuAc approximately 0.09 mmol/l. In the submandibular and parotid glands, a soluble sialidase with a different pH optimum (5.5) and Km value (0.25 mmol/l) was also detected.     

Changes in sialic acid content of the plasma membrane in hepatocellular proliferation

The content of sialic acid bound to the sinusoidal region of plasma membrane during the prereplicative phase after the intravenous injection of a solution containing triiodothyronine, amino acids, glucagon and heparin (T.A.G.H. solution) has been measured. The results obtained show that an important decrease in sialic acid content is produced as it occurs in the hepatic cells of hepatectomized animals. In order to know if sialidase activity is involved in the decrease of sialic acid content during liver regeneration, the activity of sinusoidal plasma membrane sialidases during the prereplicative phase after the partial hepatectomy has been studied. No modifications of sialidase activity were detected during this period of time indicating that this decrease in sialic acid content has to be produced by other mechanisms such as diminution in the synthesis of precursor molecules. On the other hand due to the importance of Ca2+-calmodulin complexes in the activation of the hepatic cell proliferation the possible implication of this complex on the loss of sialic acid, observing the effect of trifluoperazine (inhibitor of Ca2+-calmodulin complexes) during the prereplicative phase of liver regeneration has been studied. The results show a delay in the decrease of the amount of sugar studied from 10 to 12 hours compared to the results obtained with the hepatectomized rats that have not received trifluoperazine.     

Differential functional relevance of a plasma membrane ganglioside sialidase in cholinergic and adrenergic neuroblastoma cell lines.

Gangliosides located in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane are important modulators of cellular functions. Our previous work has shown that in cultured human SK-N-MC neuroblastoma cells a sialidase residing in the same membrane selectively desialylates gangliosides with terminal sialic acid residues, causing a shift from higher species to GM1 and a conversion of GM3 to lactosylceramide. Inhibition of this sialidase by 2-deoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuAc2en) resulted in increased cell proliferation and a loss of differentiation markers. In this study, we examined the occurrence and function of this ganglioside sialidase in other neuronal cells. Subcellular fractionation showed the sialidase to be located in the plasma membrane of all cell lines studied. The presence of the inhibitor NeuAc2en led to a profound decrease in the amount of the differentiation marker 200 kDa/70 kDa neurofilaments and an increase in cell proliferation in the cholinergic SK-N-MC and mixed cholinergic/adrenergic SK-N-FI and SK-N-DZ neuroblastoma lines, but had little or no effect in the human adrenergic SK-N-SH and SK-N-AS and the adrenergic/cholinergic PC12 cells from rat. The influence of the inhibitor on cell behaviour was paralleled by a diminished number of cholera toxin B-binding GM1 sites. The findings demonstrate that the plasma membrane ganglioside sialidase is an important element of proliferation and differentiation control in some, but not all, neuroblastoma cells and suggest that there might be a relationship between plasma membrane sialidase activity and cholinergic differentiation.     

Substrate specificity and inhibitor studies of a membrane-bound ganglioside sialidase isolated from human brain tissue

A ganglioside-specific sialidase that controls cellular functions such as growth, differentiation, and adhesion has been observed in a variety of cells, but its characterization proved difficult due to firm membrane attachment and lability of the purified enzyme. Here we report on the specificity toward gangliosides and susceptibility to certain inhibitors of a ganglioside sialidase solubilized and purified 5100-fold from human brain. The sialidase removed terminal sialic acids from gangliosides GM3, GM4, GD3, GD2, GD1 a, GD1 b, GT1 b and GQ1 b, but was inactive toward gangliosides with sialic acid in a branching position (as in GM1 and GM2). Lyso-GM3 and -GD1a were good substrates, too, whereas O-acetylation of the sialic acid as in 9-O-acetyl-GD3 caused strongly reduced cleavage. The new influenza virus drug 4-guanidino-2-deoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid (Zanamivir) exhibited an IC50 value of about 7 x 10(-5) M that was in the range of the 'classical' sialidase inhibitor 2-deoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid; the bacterial sialidase inhibitor 4-nitrophenyloxamic acid, however, was ineffective. The glycosaminoglycans heparan sulfate, heparin, chondroitin sulfates A and B, as well as dextran sulfate and suramin, were all strongly inhibitory, suggesting that glycosaminoglycans present on the cell surface or in the extracellular matrix may influence the ability of the sialidase to alter the ganglioside composition of the membrane.     

Structural Studies on the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Sialidase-Like Enzyme PA2794 Suggest Substrate and Mechanistic Variations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes an enzyme (PA2794) that is annotated as a sialidase (or neuraminidase), as it possesses three bacterial neuraminidase repeats that are a signature of nonviral sialidases. A recent report showed that when the gene encoding this sialidase is knocked out, this led to a reduction in biofilm production in the lungs of mice, and it was suggested that the enzyme recognizes pseudaminic acid, a sialic acid analogue that decorates the flagella of Pseudomonas, Helicobacter, and Campylobacter species. Here, we present the crystal structure of the P. aeruginosa enzyme and show that it adopts a trimeric structure, partly held together by an immunoglobulin-like trimerization domain that is C-terminal to a classical β-propeller sialidase domain. The recombinant enzyme does not show any sialidase activity with the standard fluorogenic sialic-acid-based substrate. The proposed active site contains certain conserved features of a sialidase: a nucleophilic tyrosine with its associated glutamic acid, and two of the usual three arginines that interact with the carboxylic acid group of the substrate, but is missing the first arginine and the aspartic acid that acts as an acid/base in all sialidases studied to date. We show, by in silico docking, that the active site may accommodate pseudaminic acid but not sialic acid and that this is due, in part, to a phenylalanine in the hydrophobic pocket that selects for the alternative stereochemistry of pseudaminic acid at C5 compared to sialic acid. Mutation of this phenylalanine to an alanine converts the enzyme into a sialidase, albeit a poor one, which we confirm by kinetics and NMR, and this allowed us to probe the function of other amino acids. We propose that a histidine plays the role of the acid/base, whose state is altered through a charge-relay system involving a novel His-Tyr-Glu triad. The location of this relay system precludes the presence of one of the three arginines usually found in a sialidase active site.     

Properties of sialidase isolated from Actinomyces viscosus DSM 43798

The cell-bound sialidase of Actinomyces viscosus DSM 43798 was solubilized by mechanical cell disruption and lysozyme treatment. The enzyme was enriched 30,000-fold by cation-exchange chromatography, gel-filtration, and FPLC ion-exchange chromatography, thus obtaining 10 micrograms sialidase protein from 26 g wet cells with a specific activity of 680 U/mg protein. Since sialidase activity was also found in the culture medium, this enzyme was isolated as well, requiring the additional application of FPLC gel-filtration. Both sialidase preparations were apparently homogenous on SDS-PAGE and have similar properties. The substrate specificity of the A. viscosus sialidase was tested with 16 sialoglycoconjugates: The enzyme showed a higher activity with serum glycoproteins than with gangliosides, mucins or sialyllactoses. 4-O-Acetylated N-acetylneuraminic acid was not cleaved from equine submandibular gland mucins or serum glycoproteins in contrast to N-acetyl- and N-glycoloylneuraminic acid. 9-O-Acetyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid was released from bovine submandibular gland mucin, as confirmed by TLC. The sialidase hydrolyses alpha(2----6)-linkages more rapidly than alpha(2----8)- and alpha(2----3)-bonds. Cations, except Hg2+, or chelating agents have no influence on enzyme activity. The sialidase has a relatively high molecular mass of 150 kDa, but consists of only one unit. The enzyme is labile towards freezing and thawing, but can be stored at 4 degrees C in 0.1 M acetate buffer, pH 5.     

The erythrocyte membranes in β-thalassemia. Lower sialic acid levels in glycophorin

The sialic acids content of glycophorin of thalassemic erythrocyte membranes is about 25% lower than in glycophorin of normal erythrocyte membranes. Glycophorin extracted from old thalassemic erythrocytes separated by density centrifugation, has about half the sialic acids content found in glycophorin extracted from young thalassemic erythrocytes. Possible sialidase activity was sought in the plasma and erythrocyte membranes of thalassemic erythrocytes. No increased sialidase activity was detected in the plasma of the patients as compared to that of normal donors. Thus, other sites for sialidase activity, or other possibilities have to be explored to account for the increased sialic acid hydrolysis of glycophorin of the thalassemic erythrocytes.     

Photoaffinity labeling of a bacterial sialidase with an aryl azide derivative of sialic acid

A photoreactive radioiodinatable derivative of 2-deoxy-2,3-didehydro-5-N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuAc2en), 5-N-acetyl-9-(4-azidosalicoylamido)-2-deoxy-2,3-didehydroneuram inic acid (ASA-NeuAc2-en) has been synthesized and used to label the active site of Clostridium perfringens sialidase. Like NeuAc2en, its aryl azide derivative is a strong competitive inhibitor of sialidase (Ki approximately 15 microM). The absorbance spectrum of ASA-NeuAc2en shows a characteristic aryl azide peak, which disappears upon photolysis with UV light. When its radioiodinated counterpart 5-N-acetyl-9-(4-iodoazidosalicoylamido)-2-deoxy-2,3-didehydrone uraminic acid ([125I]IASA-NeuAc2en) was photolyzed in the presence of C. perfringens sialidase a 72-kDa protein was labeled. Labeling occurred specifically in the active site since it was inhibited in the presence of NeuAc2en. Chemical cleavage of the photoaffinity-labeled 72-kDa protein demonstrates that specifically labeled peptides involved in the formation of the active site can easily be determined. ASA-NeuAc2en is a valuable new tool for the identification and structural/functional analysis of sialidases and other proteins, recognizing this sialic acid derivative.     

Human blood cells sialidases

The conditions of a linear assay for 4-methylumbelliferyl-alpha-D-N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (4-MU-NeuAc) sialidase activity in human lymphocytes, granulocytes, platelets and red cells plasma membranes have been determined. Lymphocytes and granulocytes have the same pH curve with two maximums at pH 4.0 and 4.8; however lymphocytes show a higher specific activity and a higher Km value. Sialidase activity detected in red cells plasma membranes has again a double-peak pH curve with maximums at pH 4.2 and pH 4.6, and specific activity levels less than one/30 compared to the other blood cells preparations. Platelets have a sialidase activity of the same magnitude as granulocytes, with an optimum pH at 4.2.     

Fluorescent staining of sialidases in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and ultrathin-layer isoelectric focusing

Polyacrylamide gels were stained with the sialidase substrate 2'-(4-methylumbelliferyl)-alpha-D-N-acetylneuraminic acid showing the activity of Vibrio cholerae and Clostridium sordellii sialidases in the gels after electrophoresis. With this fluorogenic method minimum sialidase activities of 5 microU could be determined. The sensitivity of this staining is about 10,000-fold higher compared to protein-staining with Coomassie brilliant blue. For the visualization of other proteins than sialidases the specific sialidase staining could be followed by a protein-staining method in the same gel.     

Characterization, purification, and subcellular localization of bovine thyroid sialidases

Sialidase activities have been studied in bovine thyroid using sialoglycolipids, sialoglycoproteins, sialo-oligosaccharides and fluorogenic 4-methylumbelliferyl-alpha-D-N-acetylneuraminate as substrates. No sialidase activity could be detected towards native glycoprotein substrates. From enzyme kinetics, effector data and more convincingly from subcellular studies it became clear that in bovine thyroid at least two sialidase activities were present, a sialyllactitol sialidase confined to the lysosomal membrane and a glycolipid sialidase residing in the plasma membrane and displaying the features of a true ectoenzyme. The lipid requirement for full enzyme activity supported the membrane bound character of both sialidase activities. A soluble sialidase activity could not be demonstrated. After solubilization by CHAPS treatment, partial purification of the sialyllactitol sialidase could be achieved by affinity chromatography (Sepharose diamino dipropylamino-N-acetylneuraminic acid). The purified enzyme was extremely labile. Titration of the sialidase preparation with amino acid modifying agents revealed that sulfhydryl- and tryptophanyl groups were essential for the sialidase action.