Photosensitized Oxygenation Reactions of β-Thujaplicin (Hinokitiol): Formation of a New Carbon Skeleton,Tetracyclo[7.3.2.02,8.04,14]tetradecane

N-Linked oligosaccharides were elongated by glycosylation with mannose and galactose residues in the secretory pathway of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The wild-type S. pombe cells were agglutinated by the additions of not only concanavalin A lectin, which is specific for mannose residues, but also PNA (from Arachis hypogaea) and RCA (Ricinus communis) lectins, which are specific for terminal galactose residues. By PNA-binding selection, we isolated an S. pombe mutant defective in protein glycosylation. The mutant cells, named gmsl, were not agglutinated by PNA or RCA. In contrast, agglutination of the gmsl cells by the addition of concanavalin A was markedly increased. Structural studies on N-linked oligosaccharides from gmsl mutant cells showed that the number of x-l,2-linked galactose residues wes markedly reduced, and unsubstituted x-l,6-linked polymannose outer chains were attached to the core oligosaccharides.     

Studies on Abscisic Acid

Methyl α-ionylideneacetates were oxidized with selenium dioxide to a mixture of methyl 3′-keto-β-ionylideneacetates and a small amount of methyl 4′-keto-α-ionylidene-acetates followed by treatment with active manganese dioxide. By a similar oxidation methyl 3′-keto-β-ionylideneacetates were prepared from methyl β-ionylidene acetates. Methyl 4′-keto-α-ionylideneacetates were obtained by oxidation of methyl α-ionylideneacetates with tert-butyl chromate. Dehydrobromination of methyl bromoionylideneacetate, obtained by bromination of methyl 2-trans-α-ionylideneacetate with N-bromosuccinimide, gave a mixture of methyl 2-trans-dehydro-β-ionylideneacetate and methyl 2-cis-dehydro-β-ionylideneacetate. The growth inhibitory activities of these sesquiterpene carboxylic acids and keto esters on rice seedlings were tested.     

Synthesis of a Spacer-Linked Derivative of Heptopyranosyl(α1-3)heptopyranose Expressed in Lipooligosaccharide and Lipopolysaccharide

Glycosylation of penta-O-acetyl heptopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate with the 3-OH acceptor, methyl 2-O-benzyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-7,8-dideoxy-α-D-manno-oct-7-enopyranoside, gave the desired α1-3-linked disaccharide in a 94% yield. The oct-enopyranoside moiety of the disaccharide was converted to the heptoside by oxidative cleavage with osmium tetroxide/NaIO₄ and subsequent reduction with NaBH₄. The resulting α1-3-linked heptose disaccharide was converted to a tricholoroacetaimidate derivative containing a benzoyl group at C-2. This donor was glycosylated with 2-(carbobenzoxyamino)-1-ethanol to give an α spacer-linked disaccharide derivative in a 90% yield. Zemplén deacylation of the derivative and subsequent hydrogenolysis gave a 2-aminoethyl glycoside of heptopyranosyl(α1-3)heptopyranose.     

Impact of aeration strategy on CHO cell performance during antibody production

Stirred tank bioreactors using suspension adapted mammalian cells are typically used for the production of complex therapeutic proteins. The hydrodynamic conditions experienced by cells within this environment have been shown to directly impact growth, productivity, and product quality and therefore an improved understanding of the cellular response is critical. Here we investigate the sub‐lethal effects of different aeration strategies on Chinese hamster ovary cells during monoclonal antibody production. Two gas delivery systems were employed to study the presence and absence of the air–liquid interface: bubbled direct gas sparging and a non‐bubbled diffusive silicone membrane system. Additionally, the effect of higher gas flow rate in the sparged bioreactor was examined. Both aeration systems were run using chemically defined media with and without the shear protectant Pluronic F‐68 (PF‐68). Cells were unable to grow with direct gas sparging without PF‐68; however, when a silicone membrane aeration system was implemented growth was comparable to the sparged bioreactor with PF‐68, indicating the necessity of shear protectants in the presence of bubbles. The cultures exposed to increased hydrodynamic stress were shown by flow cytometry to have decreased F‐actin intensity within the cytoskeleton and enter apoptosis earlier. This indicates that these conditions elicit a sub‐lethal physiological change in cells that would not be detected by the at‐line assays which are normally implemented during cell culture. These physiological changes only result in a difference in continuous centrifugation performance under high flow rate conditions. Product quality was more strongly affected by culture age than the hydrodynamic conditions tested. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2013.     

Modulation of Cav3.2 T-type calcium channel permeability by asparagine-linked glycosylation

Low-voltage-gated T-type calcium channels are expressed throughout the nervous system where they play an essential role in shaping neuronal excitability. Defects in T-type channel expression have been linked to various neuronal disorders including neuropathic pain and epilepsy. Currently, little is known about the cellular mechanisms controlling the expression and function of T-type channels. Asparagine-linked glycosylation has recently emerged as an essential signaling pathway by which the cellular environment can control expression of T-type channels. However, the role of N-glycans in the conducting function of T-type channels remains elusive. In the present study, we used human Ca_v3.2 glycosylation-deficient channels to assess the role of N-glycosylation on the gating of the channel. Patch-clamp recordings of gating currents revealed that N-glycans attached to hCa_v3.2 channels have a minimal effect on the functioning of the channel voltage-sensor. In contrast, N-glycosylation on specific asparagine residues may have an essential role in the conducting function of the channel by enhancing the channel permeability and / or the pore opening of the channel. Our data suggest that modulation of N-linked glycosylation of hCa_v3.2 channels may play an important physiological role, and could also support the alteration of T-type currents observed in disease states.     

Evaluation of a glycoengineered monoclonal antibody via LC-MS analysis in combination with multiple enzymatic digestion

Glycosylation affects the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics properties of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and glycoengineering is now being used to produce mAbs with improved efficacy. In this work, a glycoengineered version of rituximab was produced by chemoenzymatic modification to generate human-like N-glycosylation with α 2,6 linked sialic acid. This modified rituximab was comprehensively characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and compared to commercially available rituximab. As anticipated, the majority of N-glycans were converted to α 2,6 linked sialic acid, in contrast to CHO-produced rituximab, which only contains α 2,3 linked sialic acid. Typical posttranslational modifications, such as pyro-glutamic acid formation at the N-terminus, oxidation at methionine, deamidation at asparagine, and disulfide linkages were also characterized in both the commercial and glycoengineered mAbs using multiple enzymatic digestion and mass spectrometric analysis. The comparative study reveals that the glycoengineering approach does not cause any additional posttranslational modifications in the antibody except the specific transformation of the glycoforms, demonstrating the mildness and efficiency of the chemoenzymatic approach for glycoengineering of therapeutic antibodies.     

Rational design of therapeutic mAbs against aggregation through protein engineering and incorporation of glycosylation motifs applied to bevacizumab

The aggregation of biotherapeutics is a major hindrance to the development of successful drug candidates; however, the propensity to aggregate is often identified too late in the development phase to permit modification to the protein's sequence. Incorporating rational design for the stability of proteins in early discovery has numerous benefits. We engineered out aggregation-prone regions on the Fab domain of a therapeutic monoclonal antibody, bevacizumab, to rationally design a biobetter drug candidate. With the purpose of stabilizing bevacizumab with respect to aggregation, 2 strategies were undertaken: single point mutations of aggregation-prone residues and engineering a glycosylation site near aggregation-prone residues to mask these residues with a carbohydrate moiety. Both of these approaches lead to comparable decreases in aggregation, with an up to 4-fold reduction in monomer loss. These single mutations and the new glycosylation pattern of the Fab domain do not modify binding to the target. Biobetters with increased stability against aggregation can therefore be generated in a rational manner, by either removing or masking the aggregation-prone region or crowding out protein-protein interactions.     

CCDC115 Deficiency Causes a Disorder of Golgi Homeostasis with Abnormal Protein Glycosylation

Disorders of Golgi homeostasis form an emerging group of genetic defects. The highly heterogeneous clinical spectrum is not explained by our current understanding of the underlying cell-biological processes in the Golgi. Therefore, uncovering genetic defects and annotating gene function are challenging. Exome sequencing in a family with three siblings affected by abnormal Golgi glycosylation revealed a homozygous missense mutation, c.92T>C (p.Leu31Ser), in coiled-coil domain containing 115 (CCDC115), the function of which is unknown. The same mutation was identified in three unrelated families, and in one family it was compound heterozygous in combination with a heterozygous deletion of CCDC115. An additional homozygous missense mutation, c.31G>T (p.Asp11Tyr), was found in a family with two affected siblings. All individuals displayed a storage-disease-like phenotype involving hepatosplenomegaly, which regressed with age, highly elevated bone-derived alkaline phosphatase, elevated aminotransferases, and elevated cholesterol, in combination with abnormal copper metabolism and neurological symptoms. Two individuals died of liver failure, and one individual was successfully treated by liver transplantation. Abnormal N- and mucin type O-glycosylation was found on serum proteins, and reduced metabolic labeling of sialic acids was found in fibroblasts, which was restored after complementation with wild-type CCDC115. PSI-BLAST homology detection revealed reciprocal homology with Vma22p, the yeast V-ATPase assembly factor located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Human CCDC115 mainly localized to the ERGIC and to COPI vesicles, but not to the ER. These data, in combination with the phenotypic spectrum, which is distinct from that associated with defects in V-ATPase core subunits, suggest a more general role for CCDC115 in Golgi trafficking. Our study reveals CCDC115 deficiency as a disorder of Golgi homeostasis that can be readily identified via screening for abnormal glycosylation in plasma.     

Mapping and analyzing the human liver proteome: progress and potential

Introduction: The liver is an important organ in humans. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the deadliest cancers in the world. Progress in the Human Liver Proteome Project (HLPP) has improved understanding of the liver and the liver cancer proteome.

Areas covered: Here, we summarize the recent progress in liver proteome modification profiles, proteomic studies in liver cancer, proteomic study in the search for novel liver cancer biomarkers and drug targets, and progress of the Chromosome Centric Human Proteome Project (CHPP) in the past five years in the Institutes of Biomedical Sciences (IBS) of Fudan University.

Expert commentary: Recent advances and findings discussed here provide great promise of improving the outcome of patients with liver cancer.