Chemical Synthesis of Glycoproteins with the Specific Installation of Gradient‐Enriched 15N‐Labeled Amino Acids for Getting Insights into Glycoprotein Behavior

Abstract

Elucidating the effects of oligosaccharides on glycoprotein properties, such as local conformational changes, stability, and dynamics, has still been challenging. In this paper, a novel partial 15 N-labeling method for the amide backbone of a synthetic glycoprotein is proposed. Using solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) and native chemical ligation (NCL), thirteen 15 N-labeled amino acids were inserted at specific positions of the protein backbone, while intentionally varying the enrichment of 15 N atoms. This idea discriminated even the same type of amino acid based on the intensities of 1 H-15 N HSQC signals, combined with classic homonuclear TOCSY and NOESY methods, thus allowing for understanding the dynamics of the local conformation of a synthetic homogeneous glycoprotein. Results suggested that the attachment of an oligosaccharide of either a bi-antennary complex-type or a high-mannose-type did not disturb protein conformation. However, T1 values suggested that the oligosaccharide influenced dynamics at the local conformation. Temperature-varied circular dichroism (CD) spectra and T1 values clearly indicated that oligosaccharides appeared to inhibit protein fluctuation or, in other words, stabilize protein structure. This insight into oligosaccharide behavior suggests some further effects on binding affinity between a glycoprotein and its receptor.