Analyses of N-linked oligosaccharides using a two-dimensional mapping technique

We propose a two-dimensional sugar map method for the simple, reproducible, and sensitive analysis of the structures of N-linked oligosaccharides. The structure of an unknown oligosaccharide can be characterized from its position on the map. The data base for the sugar map is prepared by the use of 113 kinds of standard oligosaccharides, 58 of whose structures have been confirmed by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The present method involves six steps, (i) preparation of oligosaccharides from glycopeptides by N-oligosaccharide glycopeptidase (almond) digestion, (ii) derivatization of the reducing ends of oligosaccharides with a fluorescent reagent, 2-amino-pyridine, by using sodium cyanoborohydride, (iii) separation of oligosaccharide derivatives by high-performance liquid chromatography with an ODS-silica column, (iv) analysis of the size of each separated oligosaccharide on an amide-silica column, (v) plotting of the elution position of a sample on the two-dimensional sugar map obtained for the standard oligosaccharides, and (vi) structural analysis of the oligosaccharides by a combination of sequential exoglycosidase digestion and the steps (iii-v). The present method was applied to the identification of the structures of oligosaccharides in hen ovalbumin. It was found that two unusual oligosaccharides that have not yet been reported exist in ovalbumin.