Evidence for the presence of the trimannosyl-di-N-acetyl-chitobiose core in the carbohydrate chains of human-parotid,proline-rich glycoprotein

The carbohydrate chains of the human-parotid, proline-rich glycoprotein are linked through a single type of carbohydrate-peptide linkage (asparaginyl-N-acetyl-glucosamine). The structure of the internal part of the carbohydrate chains, determined by chemical, enzymic, and g.l.c.-m.s. methods, includes the trimannosyl-di-N-acetylchitobiose core involved in the carbohydrate-peptide linkage. Furthermore, an L-fucose residue is linked to the 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucosyl residue linked to the L-asparaginyl residue. The sequence of the peripheral part of the chains has also been determined as α-L-Fucp→β-d-Galp→β-d-GlcpNAc→α-d-Manp, suggesting a double-branched, basic carbohydrate structure.     

Distribution of receptor sites on large glycoprotein molecules by electron microscopy. Application to epiglycanin.

Electron microscopy was used to map the loci of immunochemically active sites on individual glycoprotein molecules. The positions of specific galactose residues and asparagine-linked carbohydrate chains containing specific mannose residues in epiglycanin, a glycoprotein of extended conformation from the surface of TA3 mouse mammary tumour cells, were observed in complexes with Ricinus communis toxin and concanavalin A respectively. The maximum number of Ricinus communis toxin molecules attached to a single epiglycanin molecule was 23, and the average number was 16. Only one concanavalin A molecule was observed attached to any epiglycanin molecule, and this at one end of the molecule, suggesting the presence of only one receptor for this lectin. By means of this new approach for mapping specific residues, evidence has been obtained that suggests microheterogeneity in epiglycanin with respect to the locations of carbohydrate chains containing receptors for Ricinus communis toxin.     

13C-n.m.r.-spectral study of galactosyltransferase specificity with regard to the carbohydrate side-chain of native ovalbumin

As a prelude to studies using bovine N-acetylglucosaminide-β-(1→4)-galactosyltransferase to label membrane-surface glycoproteins with isotopically enriched d-galactose, the structural specificity of the enzymic reaction with water-soluble, hen ovalbumin has been examined. The enzyme-catalyzed transfer of d-galactose from UDP-d-galactose requires a (nonreducing) terminal 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucosyl group and exhibits selectivity towards saccharide chains containing d-mannose. This study considers the structural specificity of the enzyme with regard to the anomeric linkage between 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucose and d-mannose in the carbohydrate chains of hen ovalbumin. Uniformly ¹³C-enriched d-galactose was enzymically attached to the ovalbumin carbohydrate chain (which exhibits microheterogeneity in its structure), the protein was hydrolyzed, and separate glycopeptide fractions were chromatographically isolated. The ¹³C-n.m.r. spectra (60.5 MHz) of the fractions revealed two peaks for the anomeric carbon atom of d-galactose. The two peaks, at 104.20 and 104.39 p.p.m., were ascribed to d-galactosyl groups attached to 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucose respectively linked β-(1→4) and β-(1→2), to d-mannose in the glycopeptide chains. Quantifying of the spectral data revealed no specificity of d-galactosyltransferase towards the linkage from the terminal 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucosyl group to the penultimate d-mannosyl residue.     

Development and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against a mucin-type glycoprotein.

The preparation of greater than 30 different hybridomas, all secreting IgM class antibodies against epiglycanin, a glycoprotein at the surface of the mouse mammary carcinoma cell line TA3-Ha, is described. The specificities of 10 of the antibodies, with affinity constants in the range of 10(8)-10(10) l/mol were compared in an enzyme competitive binding assay. The affinity of epiglycanin was strongly reduced for all antibodies tested by incubation with periodate (10 mM, 4 degrees C) and was reduced for most of the antibodies by endo-alpha-N-acetyl- D-galactosaminidase. This suggested that carbohydrate, and specifically the Gal beta (1----3)GalNAc disaccharide, formed an integral part of the epitopes of most of the antibodies. The isolated disaccharide, however, exhibited 250,000 times less inhibitory activity in the competitive binding assay than epiglycanin. The binding capacity of epiglycanin was also reduced by incubation with trypsin or pronase, suggesting a high molecular weight dependency for binding. Incubation with sialidase increased its affinity for the antibodies. The binding of the antibodies to epiglycanin was strongly inhibited by peanut agglutinin, and to a lesser extent by lectins from Triticum vulgaris, Ricinus communis, Pisum sativum and Phaseolus vulgaris. None of the antibodies bound to any of eight different gangliosides immobilized on HPTLC plates. Mono- (Fab) and divalent [F(ab')2] fragments of the antibodies possessed very low affinity for epiglycanin. The results demonstrated that the specificities of the antibodies are related, but distinguishable, and they suggest that this epiglycanin-IgM model may be useful for studies on the general principles of the interaction between IgM antibodies and mucin-type glycoproteins.     

Structural studies of water-soluble glycoproteins from Cannabis sativa L

Two carbohydrate-protein fractions, isolated from Cannabis sativa L. by extraction with water and chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, contained arabinose, galactose, glucose, mannose, galacturonic acid, 2-acetamido-2-deoxyglucose, and 2-acetamido-2-deoxygalactose. The structure of the carbohydrate moieties was investigated by methylation analysis and Smith degradation. A high percentage of end-groups indicates a large degree of branching, glucose and galactose being the main branch-points, linked at C-3 and C-6. The hexoses are also present as unbranched residues in the chain, largely as (1→3)- and (1→4)-linked units and as end-groups. Arabinofuranosyl units constitute the main part of the non-reducing end-groups, and are also present as part of the chain. The polysaccharide chains are probably linked to protein through the hydroxyl group of hydroxyproline.     

Coronavirus glycoprotein E1, a new type of viral glycoprotein

The carbohydrate contents of coronavirus glycoproteins E1 and E2 have been analyzed. E2 has complex and mannose-rich-type oligosaccharide side-chains, which are attached by N-glycosidic linkages to the polypeptide. Glycosylation of E2 is initiated at the co-translational level, and it is inhibited by tunicamycin, 2-deoxy-glucose, and 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-glucose. Thus, E2 belongs to a glycoprotein type found in many other enveloped viruses. E1, in contrast, represents a different class of glycoprotein. The following observations indicate that its carbohydrate side-chains have 0-glycosidic linkage. (1) The constituent sugars of E1 are N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylgalactosamine, galactose, and neuraminic acid; mannose and fucose are absent. (2) The side-chains can be removed by β-elimination. (3) Glycosylation of E1 is not sensitive to the compounds interfering with N-glycosylation. E1 is the first viral glycoprotein analyzed that contains only 0-glycosidic linkages. Coronaviruses are therefore a suitable model system to study biosynthesis and processing of this type of glycoprotein.     

Some properties of the lectin from Datura stramonium (thorn-apple) and the nature of its glycoprotein linkages

The lectin from Datura stramonium (thorn-apple; Solanaceae) has been purified by affinity chromatography and shown to be a glycoprotein containing about 40% (w/w) of carbohydrate. The most abundant amino acids are hydroxyproline, cystine, glycine and serine. Results obtained by gel filtration in 6m-guanidinium chloride on Sepharose 4B suggest that it has a subunit mol.wt. of about 30000 and that it probably associates into dimers. The lectin is inhibited specifically by chitin oligosaccharides and bacterial-cell-wall oligosaccharides, but only weakly by N-acetylglucosamine. Glycopeptides from soya-bean (Glycine max) lectin and fetuin are also strong inhibitors of Datura lectin, indicating that it interacts with internal N-acetylglucosamine residues. Its specificity is similar to, but not identical with, that of potato (Solanum tuberosum) lectin. After prolonged proteolytic digestion of reduced and S-carboxymethylated or S-aminoethylated derivatives of the lectin, glycopeptides of mol.wt. of about 18000 were isolated. The glycopeptides contained all the carbohydrate and hydroxyproline of the original glycoprotein, and lesser amounts of serine, S-carboxymethylcysteine and other amino acids. The arabinose residues of the glycoprotein are present as β-l-arabinofuranosides linked to the polypeptide chain through the hydroxyproline residues, and can be removed by mild acid treatment; the ratio of arabinose to hydroxyproline is 3.4:1. Some of the serine residues of the polypeptide chain are substituted with one or two α-galactopyranoside residues, most of which can be removed by the action of α-galactosidase. The galactose residues are more easily removed from the acid-treated glycopeptide (from which arabinose has been removed) than from the complete glycopeptide, indicating a steric hindrance of the galactosidase action by the adjacent chains of arabinosides. There is a slow release of galactose residues by a process of β-elimination in 0.5m-NaOH (pH13.7) from the complete glycopeptide, and a fairly rapid release of galactose by this process from the acid-treated glycopeptide, which lacks arabinose. This is probably due to the inhibitory effect of the negative charge on the adjacent arabinofuranoside residues. The similarities and differences between the lectins from Datura and potato are discussed, as are their structural resemblance to glycopeptides that have been isolated from plant cell walls.     

Localization of the carbohydrate residue of the S-layer glycoprotein from Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum L111-69

The location of the covalently attached carbohydrate residue of the S-layer glycoprotein from Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum L111-69 was determined by electron microscopical procedures after converting the hydroxyl groups of the carbohydrate chains into carboxyl groups by succinylation. The introduction of carboxyl groups was examined by labelling with polycationized ferritin (PCF; a net positively charged topographical marker for electron microscopy). Cyanogen bromide was used for activating vicinal hydroxyl groups of the carbohydrate chains which could then react with amino groups of amino carbonic acids or ferritin. The amount of covalently bound ferritin was determined by freeze-etching and UV-measurement. Both, succinylation experiments and covalent attachment of ferritin confirmed that at least a considerable portion of the carbohydrate residue must be located on the S-layer surface.     

Estimating glycoprotein carbohydrate chain structures by lectin reactivities in polyacrylamide gels

Complex mixtures of cellular glycoproteins contain a myriad of different carbohydrate chains that cannot be easily analyzed without rigorous purification of each individual glycoprotein. We have analyzed the carbohydrate chains in complex mixtures of cellular glycoproteins by separation using sodium dodecyl-sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and interacting the gels with several 125I-labeled lectins. By use of in situ chemical modifications of the glycoproteins after their electrophoretic separation together with the known carbohydrate-binding specifities of several lectins, it has been possible to estimate glycoprotein carbohydrate chain structures. As an example we have examined the cellular glycoproteins of a ovary-colonizing metastatic variant of B16 melanoma and report the types of carbohydrate chains that are found on various melanoma glycoproteins.     

Evidence for uniformity of the carbohydrate chains in individual glycoprotein molecular variants

Pooled and alkylated α₁-acid glycoprotein was fractionated on a Con A-Sepharose column into two fractions : Con A-non reactive and Con A-reactive. The carbohydrate moiety from the α₁-acid glycoprotein Con A-reactive variant, obtained by hydrazinolysis and quantitative re-N-acetylation, contains only identical two-branched oligosaccharide chains. From the present work on α₁-acid glycoprotein and from previous studies on α₁-fetoprotein, one can assume that glycoprotein glycosylation occurs uniformly along each polypeptide chain giving it identical oligosaccharide units at each glycosylation site.     

Reglucosylation of glycoproteins and quality control of glycoprotein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum of yeast cells

Proteins entering the secretory pathway may be glycosylated upon transfer of an oligosaccharide (Glc₃Man₉GlcNAc₂) from a dolichol-P-P derivative to nascent polypeptide chains in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Oligosaccharides are then deglucosylated by glucosidases I and II (GII). Also in the ER, glycoproteins acquire their final tertiary structures, and species that fail to fold properly are retained and eventually degraded in the proteasome. It has been proposed that in mammalian cells the monoglucosylated oligosaccharides generated either by partial deglucosylation of the transferred compound or by reglucosylation of glucose-free oligosaccharides by the UDP-Glc:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase (GT) are recognized by ER resident lectins (calnexin and/or calreticulin). GT is a sensor of glycoprotein conformation as it only glucosylates misfolded species. The lectin-monoglucosylated oligosaccharide interaction would retain glycoproteins in the ER until correctly folded, and also facilitate their acquisition of proper tertiary structures by preventing aggregation. GII would liberate glycoproteins from the calnexin/calreticulin anchor, but species not properly folded would be reglucosylated by GT, and so continue to be retained by the lectins. Only when the protein becomes properly folded would it cease to be retained by the lectins. This review presents evidence suggesting that a similar quality control mechanism of glycoprotein folding is operative in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and that the mechanism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae probably differs substantially from that occurring in mammalian and Sch. pombe cells.     

Gum arabic glycoprotein is a twisted hairy rope : a new model based on o-galactosylhydroxyproline as the polysaccharide attachment site

Separation of the wound exudate from Acacia senegal (L.) Willd., “gum arabic,” on a preparative Superose-6 column gave two major fractions: a high molecular weight gum arabic glycoprotein (GAGP) containing about 90% carbohydrate and a lower molecular weight heterogenous gum arabic polysaccharide fraction. Hydrogen fluoride-deglycosylation of GAGP gave a large (~400 residue) hydroxyproline-rich polypeptide backbone (dGAGP). Alkaline hydrolysis of GAGP showed that most of the carbohydrate was attached to the polypeptide backbone as small (~30 residue) hydroxyproline (Hyp)-polysaccharide substituents. After partial acid hydrolysis of the Hyp-polysaccharide fraction we identified O-galactosylhydroxyproline as the glycopeptide linkage, identical with that of hydroxyproline-rich arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs). However, unlike the acidic alanine-rich AGPs, GAGP is basic and notably deficient in alanine. Thus, while the GAGP polypeptide backbone more closely resembles that of the Hyp-rich cell wall protein extensin, the GAGP polysaccharide sidechains resemble AGPs. Possibly all three proteins comprise a phylogenetically related extensin superfamily of extended rod-like macromolecules. The “wattle-blossom” model for AGP and gum arabic predicts a few large polysaccharide substituents along the polypeptide backbone of a spheroidal macromolecule. On the contrary, our data imply a rodlike molecule with numerous small polysaccharide substituents (attached to 24% of the Hyp residues), regularly arranged along a highly periodic polypeptide backbone based, hypothetically, on a 10 to 12 residue repetitive peptide motif. Thus, a simple statistical model of the gum arabic glycoprotein predicts a repeating polysaccharide-peptide subunit of about 7 kilodaltons. The small polysaccharide substituents will maximize intramolecular hydrogen bonding if aligned along the long axis of the molecule, forming in effect a twisted hairy rope. Electron micrographs of rotary shadowed GAGP molecules support that prediction and may also explain how such apparently large molecules can exit the cell by endwise reptation through the small pores of the primary cell wall.     

The structure of the O-glycosylically-linked oligosaccharide chains of LPG-I,a glycoprotein present in articular lubricating fraction of bovine synovial fluid

Periodate oxidation of LPG-1 established that N-acetylneuraminic acid residues are linked preponderantly α-(2→3) to D-galactose residues. The resistance of 2-acetamido-2-deoxyD-galactose residues to periodate oxidation suggests that they are linked at either O-3 or O-4 to D-galactose residues. After treatment of LPG-I with alkaline sulfite, ≈80% of 2-acetamido-2-deoxygalactose was recovered as the sulfonic acid derivative. The Gal→GalNAc disaccharide released from sialic-acid-free LPG-I by digestion with endo-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-D-galactosidase (which suggests an α-D-GalNAc→-L-Ser or -L-Thr linkage) gave a high color-yield in the Morgan—Elson reaction, indicating that 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-galactose residues are linked at C-3 to D-galactose residues. The migration of the released Gal-GalNAc disaccharide was the same as that of a standard sample of O-β-D-galactosyl-(1→3)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-galactose. Treatment of sialic acid-free LPG-I with Streptococcus pneumoniae β-D-galactosidase, which hydrolyzes only galactosides linked β-D-(1→4) gave no free D-galactose, whereas treatment of LPG-I with bovine testes β-D-galactosidase released > 90% of D-galactose. These results provide evidence for β-D-Galp-(1→3)-α-D-GalNAcp-(1→3)-L-Ser or -L-Thr and α-NeuAc-(2→3)-β-D-Galp-(1→3)-α-D- GalNAcp-(1→3)-L-Ser or -L-Thr structures. The sensitivity of the methods used and the recovery of constituents following treatment of LPG-I do not rule out the occurrence of small amounts of other tri- or tetra-saccharide chains.     

Glycosylation of VSV glycoprotein is similar in cystic fibrosis,heterozygous carrier,and normal human fibroblasts

The single envelope glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus was used as a specific probe of glycosyltransferase activities in fibroblasts from two cystic fibrosis patients, an obligate heterozygous carrier and a normal individual. Gel filtration of pronasedigested glycopeptides from both purified virions and infected cell-associated VSV glycoprotein which had been labeled with [³H] glucosamine did not reveal any significant differences in the glycosylation patterns between the different cell cultures. All 4 cell lines were apparently able to synthesize the mannose- and glucosamine-containing core structure and branch chains terminating in sialic acid which are characteristic of asparagine-linked carbohydrate side chains in cellular glycoproteins. Analysis of tryptic glycopeptides by anion-exchange chromotography indicated that the same 2 major sites on the virus polypeptide were recognized and glycosylated in all 4 VSV-infected cell cultures. These studies suggest that the basic biochemical defect(s) in cystic fibrosis is not an absence or deficiency in enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of complex carbohydrate side chains.     

Isolation and characterization of a lectin from the seeds of Erythrina Edulis

A galactose-specific lectin was isolated from the seeds of Erythrina edulis. The protein was purified by affinity chromatography of the globulin fraction on an allyl-galactoside polyacrylamide gel. The hemagglutination properties, amino acid composition, A₂₈₀, MW of the protein and of its subunits, carbohydrate content, electrophoretic pattern and isoelectric point were determined. Comparison of its properties with those of other Erythrina lectins shows that the protein is a distinct member of this group of lectins.     

Structure of carbohydrate chains of a high-molecular-weight pulmonary glycoprotein

A human, alveolar glycoprotein having an apparent mol. wt. of 250 000 gave two major glycopeptide fractions (I and II) by Pronase digestion, followed by gel filtration, DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, paper chromatography, and paper electrophoresis. Glycopeptide I contained d-galactose, d-mannose, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucose, and N-acetylneuraminic acid in the molar ratio of 2:3:4:1, whereas these sugars were present in Glycopeptide II in the molar ratio of 2:3:4:2.l-Fucose was present only in Glycopeptide II at a concentration of one l-fucose per three d-mannose residues. In both glycopeptides, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucose was linked to an asparagine residue of the peptide chain. Based on the results of alkaline borohydride treatment, periodate oxidation, methlylation analysis, and sequential glycosidase degradation of the glycopeptides, tentative structures are proposed for both glycopeptides.     

The release of oligosaccharides from glycoproteins by endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase of Flavobacterium sp.

Endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, purified to homogenicity from the cultural filtrate of Flavobacterium sp., liberated oligosaccharides from various glycoproteins. The enzyme could liberate the carbohydrate chain from native ovalbumin. The release of oligosaccharides from ribonuclease B, yeast carboxypeptidase and a Ricinus lectin was also observed. These glycoproteins contain neutral oligosaccharides that are attached to the protein through glycosyl asparagine bonds. The treatment of glycoprotein with SDS and boiling was more effective for removal of oligosaccharides by the enzyme. The enzyme hydrolyzed all five heterogeneous ovalbumin glycopeptides, although the rate of hydrolysis decreased as the size of the sugar moiety increased. Removal of the neutral oligosaccharides did not appear to effect the enzymatic properties of the hemagglutination ability of these glycoproteins.     

Physical and chemical properties of the major envelope glycoprotein gp85 from avian myeloblastosis virus

The major envelope glycoprotein gp85 of avian myeloblastosis virus, observed by electron microscopy as nearly spherical knobs projecting from the virus surface, was purified to homogeneity by gel filtration in 6 M guanidinium chloride followed by ion-exchange chromatography. The purified glycoprotein has a molecular weight of 80 000 from sedimentation equilibrium analysis. Glycoprotein gp85 contains approx. 45% carbohydrate including 25% N-acetylglucosamine, while the remaining weight consists of a polypeptide chain of approx. 45 000 daltons. Based on the oligosaccharide chain molecular weight data of Lai and Duesberg (Lai, M.M.C. and Duesberg, P.H. (1972) Virology 50, 359-372), the carbohydrate is calculated to be distributed between seven to nine oligosaccharide side chains. No self-association of gp85 was observed up to 2.0 mg/ml in dilute salt solution. The hydrodynamic properties of gp85 in dilute salt solution indicate a highly elongated molecule with an axial ratio of 7. One structural model which reconciles the hydrodynamic properties of gp85 with the nearly spherical architecture observed by electron microscopy requires the organization of the polypeptide chain and approx. 50% of the carbohydrate into a globular form. The remaining covalently linked oligosaccharides would by necessity extend outwardly from the globular structure as randomly oriented chains.     

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.     

Cell binding and mitogenic properties of the lima bean lectins

Two lectins, a tetramer designated LBL₄ and an octamer LBL₈ designated have been purified from the lima beanPhaseolus lunatus. The tetramer appears to be nonmitogenic for human lymphocytes and is a weak mitogen for bovine cells. The octamer and a chemically cross-linked form of the tetramer are good mitogens. The lima bean lectin binds to only certain sub-populations of human lymphocytes. The primary class which does not bind appears to be a sub-population ofT-lymphocytes. Comparisons of cell binding with other lectins which bind to 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-galactose have been carried out. Quantitative analysis of the binding to human erythrocytes is co-operative but binding to lymphocytes is non-co-operative. These results show that there may not be a direct correlation between mitogenic stimulation and cooperative binding to membrane receptors.