Analysis of asparagine-linked oligosaccharide structures of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells

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The asparagine-linked oligosaccharide structures of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells (CLL) were studied by sequential lectin affinity chromatography. Glycopeptides were isolated from a Concanavalin A (ConA)-binding glycoprotein fraction prepared from a soluble CLL extract. This fraction, which contained 1.8% of the proteins present in the soluble extract, > 30 polypeptides revealed by SDS-PAGE analysis, and known cell surface antigens such as HLA-DR and p85 glycoprotein, must include a major proportion of the glycoproteins of the CLL cells. Glycopeptides were prepared by digestion with pronase, were separated into four pools (A-D) by Bio-Gel P-6 filtration and were radiolabeled by N- 14C-acetylation. Glycopeptide pools C and D (0.45 < K d < 0.77) were 95–100% bound to ConA-Sepharose and 7–12% bound to Lens culinaris (Lens)-Sepharose, but did not interact with any of the other lectins tested, suggesting major amounts of high mannose structures and minor amounts of fucosylated biantennary complex structures with terminal GlcNAc on the Man α 1–6 arm. Structures with > 3 branches were suggested for pools A and B (0 < K d < 0.44) which were 34–65% unbound to ConA-Sepharose and 37–40% bound to Lens-Sepharose. Analysis of the ConA-unbound glycopeptides on RCA-Agarose before and after acid hydrolysis indicated variable amounts of terminal galactose and sialic acid residues. Major components of pool A were structures with terminal GlcNAc on all branches (22%) and fully sialylated structures (20%). In pool B, 20% of the radioactivity interacted with l-Phaseolus vulgaris agglutinin (PHA)-Agarose and with Ricinus communis (RCA)-Agarose, indicative of a fully galactosylated triantennary structure with branches at C-2 and C-6 of the Man α 1–6 arm. Half of the l-PHA-interacting material also bound to Lens-Sepharose, indicative of a core fucose residue. A fully galactosylated biantennary complex structure in pool A (13%) was identified by weak binding to ConA-Sepharose and strong interaction with RCA-Agarose. The presence of the polylactosamine sequence (Gal β1–4GlcNAcβ1–3) n on this structure was suggested by a sialic acid independent interaction with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-Agarose. A sialic acid dependent WGA-interaction was observed in the ConA-unbound glycopeptides of pool A (5%). Some of the structures identified in this study may be associated with the malignant CLL phenotype and/or with a distinct stage of B cell differentiation.