Carbohydrate Units Research Articles

Characterization of the plasma glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD)

Proteins anchored to the cell membrane by glycosylphosphatidylinosital (GPI) are functionally diverse; they include: complement regulatory proteins, cell-adhesion molecules, ectoenzymes, lymphocyte differentiation antigens , tumor markers, both the normal and scrapie forms of the prion protein, as well as parasitic protozoan cell surface antigens (Cross, 1990). One proposed function for the GPI-anchor is that it facilitates the release of the protein from the membrane by serving as a target substrate for anchor-specific phospholipases (Low, 1990). Recently, we and others have discovered (Davitz et al., 1987; Cardoso de Almeida et al., 1988; and Low and Prasad, 1988), purified (Davitz et al., 1989; Huang et al., 1990), and cloned (Scallon et al., 1991) a GPI-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD) isolated from mammalian plasma. Based on a cleavage analysis of the GPI-biosynthetic precursors for the membrane form variant surface glycoprotein (mfVSG) of Trypanosorna brucei, the minimal carbohydrate structure recognized by the GPI-PLD consists of Mannose-Glucosamine-phosphatidylinositol (Man,GlcN-PI) (Masterson et al., 1989) (Figure 1). This carbohydrate unit is part of a conserved glycan core backbone that is present on both trypanosomal as well as mammalian anchors (Cross, 1990). Thus it is likely that all GPI-anchors could serve as potential substrates for the GPI-PLD.

Isolation and biochemical properties of four forms of glycosylated porcine prolactin

Four isoforms of glycosylated prolactin (G-pPRL) were isolated from porcine pituitary glands by affinity chromatography and concanavalin A-Sepharose, based upon differences in their affinity for the lectin. Structural analysis indicated differences in the carbohydrate units of the four G-pPRLs. N-glycanase treatment cleaved the oligosaccharide from the G-pPRLs, establishing N-linked glycosylation. The binding of G-pPRLs to receptors from lactating rabbit mammary glands was only 3–8% that of nonglycosylated pPRL (NG-pPRL). The immunological crossreactivity of the G-pPRLs varied from 36 to 65% that of NG-pPRL. When tested in the pigeon crop sac bioassay, G-pPRLs were only 11–40% as active as NG-pPRL. The metabolic clearance rate of one of the G-pPRLs was slower and another faster than that of NG-pPRL. We conclude that there are several forms of G-PRL of variable immuno- and bio-potencies in the porcine pituitary, and that the current radioimmunoassay for the hormone does not measure the actual bioactivity.

Anionic Carbohydrate Groups of Human Thyroglobulin Containing both Phosphate and Sulfate*

We showed previously that human thyroglobulin (hTG) contains anionic complex carbohydrate units with up to four sulfate groups, some containing both sulfate and sialic acid. Recent reports indicate that the carbohydrate units of hTG may also contain phosphate, but these reports are not all in accord. The purpose of this study was to confirm the presence of phosphate on the carbohydrate units of hTG and to determine whether phosphate coexists with other acidic moieties, such as sulfate and sialic acid, on the same carbohydrate units. Alkaline phosphatase and acid hydrolysis were used to detect phosphate on the sulfated carbohydrate units of hTG derived from normal and neoplastic tissues. Thyroid fragments from two patients were incubated for 16 h in [35S]sulfate-containing medium, and hTG was purified. Complex carbohydrates were released from hTG with endoglycosidase-F and analyzed at pH 2.2 on a HPLC ion exchange column. Sulfate-containing peaks were monitored by radioactivity, and sialic acid-containing ones were identified by their reduced charge after neuraminidase or acid treatment. None of the sulfate-labeled carbohydrate peaks shifted after alkaline phosphatase treatment alone, indicating that none of them contained phosphomonoesters. Several of the sulfate-labeled peaks shifted after acid hydrolysis, some to positions of decreased charge, due to removal of sialic acid, and some to positions of increased charge, suggesting the presence of phosphodiesters. The latter was confirmed by the observation that some of the newly formed peaks were susceptible to alkaline phosphatase digestion. Thus, acid hydrolysis converted phosphodiesters into alkaline phosphatase-susceptible phosphomonoesters, most likely mannose-6-phosphate. We conclude that some anionic complex carbohydrate units of hTG contain exclusively sulfate, while others contain combinations of sulfate, sialic acid, and phosphodiesters. Phosphodiesters are present in the sulfated carbohydrate units of hTG from normal as well as neoplastic thyroid tissue.

Affinity chromatography of two sets of isomeric antibodies having specificity for different oligosaccharide units of gum arabic

Two sets of antibodies directed against different carbohydrate units of gum arabic were isolated from the sera of rabbits immunized intramuscularly with gum arabic and Freund's complete adjuvant. The isolation was affected by affinity chromatography on two columns attached in series and containing an adsorbent of AH-Sepharose 4B with ligands of partially hydrolyzed gun arabic in the first column and an adsorbent of AH-Sepharose 4B with ligands of native gum arabic in the second column. The two populations of anti-gum arabic antibodies were obtained and have been designated as Set 1 and Set 2 on the basis of their mobilities on agar diffusion. The antibodies of Set 1 consisted of 4 isomeric antibodies and those of Set 2 consisted of 11 isomeric antibodies. Native gum arabic samples were oxidized with periodate or reduced with sodium borohydride and carbodiimide under standard conditions and the modified samples were totally inactive in the precipitin test. On the basis of methylation data and immunological results it was concluded that terminal disaccharide moieties of the gum having the structure β- d-glucosyluronic acid-(1→6)- d-galactose and α- l-arabinofuranosyl-(1→4)- d-glucuronic acid were the immunodeterminant groups for Set 1 and Set 2 antibodies, respectively.

Localization and structure of the asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of type IV collagen from glomerular basement membrane and lens capsule

Analysis of the Sephacryl S-200 fractionated type IV collagen domains from bovine and human glomerular basement membranes (GBM) and calf anterior lens capsule (ALC) indicated that Asn-linked oligosaccharides are primarily or exclusively localized in the 7 S region, whereas the hydroxylysine-linked Glc alpha 1----2Gal disaccharides (Glc-Gal-Hyl) are present in all the major segments of the molecule (7 S, NC1, and helical domain); no Ser/Thr-linked saccharide were detected. The Asn-linked carbohydrate units observed in the 7 S domain (Mr approximately 300,000) occurred in a number equal to the 12 polypeptide chains constituting this cross-linked region, and this was consistent with lectin blots of the reduced electrophoretically resolved 7 S components. Fractionation of the N-glycanase and endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase-released oligosaccharides by concanavalin A affinity and high performance liquid chromatography indicated that the Asn-linked carbohydrate occurred predominantly in the form of complex tri- and biantennary units, although submolar amounts of polymannose variants (Man5-7GlcNAc2) were also present in calf ALC and bovine GBM. Structural studies of the complex N-linked oligosaccharides employing hydrazine/nitrous acid fragmentation and glycosidase digestions indicated a pattern in which there was complete fucosylation of the innermost GlcNAc residue of the Man3GlcNAc2 core but only sparse substitution with capping groups of the nonrepeating N-acetyllactosamine branches. Whether tri- or biantennary, the oligosaccharides from bovine GBM contained only one capping residue, in the form of either NeuAc or alpha-D-Gal, whereas those from ALC had only a single alpha-D-Gal and no NeuAc; human GBM oligosaccharides were devoid of both NeuAc and alpha-D-Gal. The absence of terminal alpha-D-Gal in the human 7 S domain was reflected in its lack of reactivity with Bandeiraea simplicifolia I and from its failure to yield Gal alpha 1----3Gal beta 1----4 [3H]anhydromannitol after hydrazine/nitrous acid/NaB3H4 treatment. Application of the latter procedure to the collagen domains yielded, in addition to fragments from the N-linked oligosaccharides, a disaccharide (Glc alpha 1----2[3H]galactitol) derived from the Glc-Gal-Hyl units. The localization of Asn-linked carbohydrate units in the evolutionarily conserved 7S domain of type IV collagens suggests that these oligosaccharides may play a role in the assembly of the collagen network of basement membranes.

Secondary-ion mass spectra of pennogenin glycosides

LSIMS mass spectra of pennogenin glycosides have been studied; the most characteristic ions are (M+H−H2O)+ (with glycerol as the liquid matrix) and (M+Na)+ (with glycerol +NaCl as matrix). In both cases the peaks of ions formed as the result of the successive elimination of the carbohydrate units, the breakdown of the bonds of the terminal pyranoses, the cleavage of the bonds of the rings D and E, and the peaks of the ions Agl+ and (Agl−H2O)+ were observed.

Characterization of heparan sulfate proteoglycan from calf lens capsule and proteoglycans synthesized by cultured lens epithelial cells. Comparison with other basement membrane proteoglycans

After extraction with 4 M guanidinium chloride and purification by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, the heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) of calf anterior lens capsule was found to consist of two immunologically related components (Mr = 340,000 and 250,000) which upon deglycosylation with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid yielded core proteins with Mr values of 170,000 and 145,000. The heparan sulfate chains were uniform in size (Mr = 14,000) and manifested a clustering of sulfate groups in a peripheral domain. From the decrease in Mr observed after heparitinase digestion, it could be estimated that 6 and 11 glycosaminoglycan chains were present in the Mr = 250,000 and 340,000 components respectively. The occurrence of N-linked oligosaccharides was evident from the size difference of the heparitinase- and trifluoromethane-sulfonic acid-treated proteoglycans (approximately 20 kDa), as well as from the presence of a substantial number of mannose residues; furthermore, interaction of the capsule proteoglycan with Bandeiraea simplicifolia I suggested that these carbohydrate units contains terminal alpha-D-Gal groups. Cultured lens epithelial cells deposited a single [35S]sulfate-labeled proteoglycan into their matrix (Mr = 400,000) which was immunologically related to the lens capsule proteoglycan and contained only heparan sulfate chains. In addition to this component, the medium from these cells contained an immunologically unrelated HSPG (Mr = 150,000) as well as a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (Mr = 240,000). Examination of bovine glomeruli indicated that, in addition to the previously described 200-kDa HSPG, an immunologically related 350-kDa component was also present. This size heterogeneity, which is comparable to that seen in the lens capsule, is most readily attributable to proteolytic processing of a precursor molecule. Studies with polyclonal antibodies demonstrated only limited cross-reactivities between the Engelbreth-Holms-Swarm proteoglycan and the components from lens capsule and glomerular basement membrane; since even the latter two differed somewhat in their antigenic sites, it would appear that cell- and species-dictated genetic differences as well as post-translational events contribute to the diversity observed in basement membrane HSPGs.

The dimensions of the T lymphocyte glycoprotein leukosialin and identification of linear protein epitopes that can be modified by glycosylation.

Leukosialin (CD43) is a major glycoprotein of T lymphocytes whose extracellular domain of 224 amino acids contains on average one O-linked carbohydrate unit per three amino acids. This suggests an unfolded structure for the extracellular domain which has now been established to extend to a length of 45 nm by transmission electron microscopy following low angle rotary shadowing. The antigenicity of rat leukosialin has been studied using nine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) whose binding is differentially affected by the cell type on which leukosialin is expressed and by the removal of sialic acid. From these observations it appears that the epitopes are affected by glycosylation, yet seven of the nine MAbs reacted clearly with the extracellular domain of leukosialian expressed in an unglycosylated form in Escherichia coli. The MAbs showing this positive reaction included three of the four antibodies whose epitopes were affected by neuraminidase treatment of leukosialin. It thus appears that linear protein epitopes are recognized and that some of these can be modified in the native structure by glycosylation. The positions of the antigenic determinants have been mapped by expressing fusion proteins of different lengths and the identity of one epitope was proven by the binding of two MAbs to an octapeptide expressed as a fusion protein. For three MAbs, the location of epitopes in the native protein was confirmed by electron microscopy of shadowed leukosialin--Fab complexes. Overall it is concluded that leukosialin is a major component at the periphery of the T lymphocyte and that despite its high level of glycosylation, protein determinants are exposed that could be ligands in cell interactions.

Isolation and characterization of human pro-urokinase and its mutants accumulated within the yeast secretory pathway

Human pro-urokinase (pro-UK) and two pro-UK deletion mutants, one lacking the epidermal growth factor(EGF)-like domain, and the other lacking both the EGF-like domain and the kringle domain, were produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This was done using the yeast GAL7 promoter and the prepeptide sequence of a fungal aspartic proteinase, Mucor pusillus rennin (MPR). Although biologically active and heavily glycosylated pro-UKs were secreted into the culture medium, the amounts were extremely small. On the other hand, large amounts of pro-UKs of a single-chain form were accumulated inside the cells, exceeding 3–4% of total cellular proteins. The intracellular pro-UKs were N-glycosylated, probably with a single core carbohydrate unit, and amino acid sequencing of their N termini revealed that the secretion signal of MPR was correctly processed. Biologically active pro-UKs were recovered in high yields by means of solubilization with 4.5 M guanidine · HC1 and subsequent dialysis for refolding. The refolded yeast pro-UK was indistinguishable from human kidney-derived pro-UK in terms of specific enzymatic activity and its secondary structure, as determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy.

Isolation and characterization of somatolactin, a new protein related to growth hormone and prolactin from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) pituitary glands

The characterization of cod somatolactin (SL), a new pituitary protein belonging to the growth hormone/prolactin family, is described. Cod SL has a molecular weight of 26 kDa and consists of 209 amino acids, of which eight are Cys. The protein has three disulfide bonds between residues Cys5-Cys15, Cys65-Cys181, and Cys198-Cys206. The Cys residues at positions 42 and 180 are not involved in disulfide bonding. The positions of these disulfide bonds are homologous to those found in prolactin and growth hormone. Cod SL has two possible N-glycosylation sites, but only one appears to have carbohydrate units attached. Chemical analysis showed the following sugars to be present: galactose, mannose, N-acetylneuramic acid, and glucosamine. A smaller variant (23 kDa) of SL has been isolated, which is believed to be deglycosylated. Sequence comparison revealed cod SL to be similarly related to both GH and PRL, but slightly higher identity was observed to the tetrapod hormones (27-33%) than to the teleost hormones (21-27%).

Four major saponins from Solidago canadensis

Four new bisdesmosidic saponins each containing eight carbohydrate units were isolated from Solidago canadensis. GC, GC-MS, FABMS analysis and mainly the use of 2D NMR techniques allowed their identification as bayogeninglycosides (canadensissaponins 1–4) 3- O-[β- d-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)-β- d-glucopyranosyl]-28- O-{α- l- rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-β- d-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-[β- d-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)]-α- l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[β- d-apio- d-furanosy]-(1→3)]-β- d-6-deoxyglucopyranosyl-(1→}-bayogenin; -(1→2)-[β- d-apio- d-furanosyl-(1→3)]-arabinopyranosyl-(1→}-bayogenin; -[α- l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)]-β- d-6-deoxyglucopyranosyl-(1→}-bayogenin and -[α- l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)]-arabinopyranosyl-(1→}-bayogenin.

Relationship of Orientation with Affinity and Activity of Receptor-Bound Glycosylation Variants of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), as Visualized by Monoclonal Antibodies (MCA)

When hCG was receptor-bound, only 2 epitopes (i.e. beta 3 and beta 5) out of its previously mapped total of 14 surface epitopes (10, 11, 12) could be detected by the respective 125I-MCA. Clearly, this indicates a non-random orientation of hCG in this particular state (1). Now we report that on receptor-bound desialylated (asialo-hCG) as well as on receptor-bound deglycosylated hCG (degly-hCG), the beta 3 and beta 5 epitopes were inaccessible for 125I-MCA as were the remaining epitopes, although both variants, when not receptor-bound, were indistinguishable from native hCG with respect to number and topography of epitopes. Thus, the carbohydrate (CHO) units of hCG neither seem to be part of these 14 antigenic sites nor to contribute to the affinity of receptor binding: both variants had even higher affinities than native hCG. However, since the CHO are known to be obligatory for triggering the postreceptor responses of hCG-stimulated target cells, as seen by the 50% reduced or totally abolished biological potency of asialo-hCG and degly-hCG, respectively, the here demonstrated clear-cut differences in epitope accessibility can be related to differences in receptor-bound orientations which reflect signal transduction-competent and incompetent modes of interaction with the receptor. We believe that the CHO, while not contributing to receptor binding per se, function to assure correct positioning of hCG in the ligand recognition domain to allow for proper protein-protein interactions between ligand and receptor and thus optimal activation and hence transduction of the external signal to the cell's interior. In addition, the fact that most of the surface epitopes were masked on receptor-bound hCG, represents the first experimental support for the sofar unproven hypothesis that this unusually long (i.e. 341 amino acid residues) extracellular N' terminal domain of the recently cloned hCG receptor (hCG-R) (23,24), is indeed involved in ligand recognition.

The preparation and characterization of antibodies with specificity for the carbohydrate units of gum arabic and gum mesquite

Antibodies directed against terminal carbohydrate units of gum arabic and gum mesquite were deteced in sera of rabbits immunized intramuscularly with solutions of the gums and Freund's complete adjuvant. The antibodies were isolated by affinity chromatography on adsorbents of AH-Sepharose 4B containing ligands of the appropriate gum. From the sera of animals immunized with gum arabic, two sets of anti-carbohydrate antibodies were isolated and these were shown to have specificity for different disaccharide units at the non-reducing ends of the gum molecule. From the sera of animals immunized with gum mesquite only one set of anti-carbohydrate antibodies with specificity for a terminal disaccharide unit was obtained. Isoelectric focusing coupled with agar diffusion of the purified antibodies showed that all of the sets of antibodies were composed of isomeric proteins with each isomer exhibiting antibody activity. The antibodies of a set are appropriately termed isoantibodies and it is likely that each isomer is synthesized by a different immunocyte of the host. Hapten inhibition studies with oligosaccharides isolated from the gums showed that gum arabic possesses two different immunodeterminants with the structure α- l-arabinofuranosyl-(1→4)- d-glucuronic acid and β- d-glucuronosyl-(1→6)- d-galactose while gum mesquite possessed only one determinant with the structure 4-methyl-β- d-glucuronosyl-(1→6)- d-galactose.

Introduction of a chiral centre on C-6 of a carbohydrate unit: Application to the synthesis of the C-2 to C-15 fragment of lonomycin

Glucose is converted into the α,β-unsaturated urono-8,4-lactone 29 using an intramolecular Wadsworth-Emmons reaction. Higher order cuprates add to the lactone to provide the C-6 substituted carbohydrate derivative with high stereoselectivity. This product can be converted into the dithiane 34b which when coupled with an appropriate epoxide yields compound 37 which contains the C-2 to C-15 fragment of ionomycin with the correct absolute stereochemistry at each asymmetric centre for conversion into ionomycin.

Secondary-ion mass spectrometry of lycotetraosides of the spirostan and furostan series

The secondary-ion mass spectra of seven steroid lycotetraosides have been obtained by the SIMS method. On the use of a glycerol matrix, all the compounds of the spirostan series, including those with an additional carbohydrate substituent a C-24, formed the (M+H)+ ions, while a lycotetraoside of the furostan series formed the (M−H2O+H)+ ion. They subsequently decomposed by the alternative successive elimination of the terminal carbohydrate units of the lycotetraose. Substituents at C-25 and C-26 were ejected in the form of glucose molecules. Fragments of the aglycon and of the lycotetraoside moieties of the molecules were recorded. When NaCl was added to the same matrix, all the compounds gave preferentially the (M+Na)+ and (M+2Na−H)+ ions.

Anionic Complex-Carbohydrate Units of Human Thyroglobulin*

Human thyroglobulin (hTG) contains sulfate in chondroitin 6-sulfate chains and in complex carbohydrates. In this study the sulfate-containing complex carbohydrates were characterized by the number of sulfate and sialic acid residues that they contain. Samples of normal and nodular thyroid tissue were incubated for 16 h in [35S]sulfate-containing medium, and hTG was purified from the tissues and the media. Complex carbohydrates were enzymatically removed from hTG. Subsequent analysis on an HPLC anion exchange column at pH 2.2 separated the carbohydrate units according to their number of negative charges. Sulfate-containing peaks were monitored by radioactivity, and sialic acid-containing peaks were identified by their shift to lower charge after treatment with neuraminidase. Peaks corresponding to sialic acid-free carbohydrate units with one to four sulfates were identified. Also, carbohydrate units with two and three negative charges containing both sulfate and sialic acid were present. In the nodular tissue of one patient there were more sulfated units with higher charge, especially units containing sialic acid. In this patient the proportion of sulfated polyvalent units with sialic acid was 22.4% for normal and 64.6% for nodular tissue. No difference in the composition of the charged units between the tissues and their corresponding media was seen, making it unlikely that the sulfate-containing carbohydrates play a role in hTG release. It is concluded that hTG contains complex carbohydrate units with up to four sulfate groups and units with both sulfate and sialic acid. In some patients, the sulfate-containing anionic carbohydrate units of hTG from normal and nodular thyroid tissue are different.

Insulin Receptor Carbohydrate Units Contain Poly-N-Acetyllactosamine Chains*

The insulin receptor was immunoprecipitated from cultured human lymphocytes (IM-9) and rat hepatocytes (Fao) after biosynthetic labeling with [3H]glucosamine or [3H]mannose, and the nature of the carbohydrate units was investigated. Digestion of the receptor from IM-9 lymphocytes with E. freundii endo-beta-galactosidase increased the migration of the insulin receptor alpha- and beta-subunits on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels and sharpened the electrophoretic bands; the alpha-subunit was converted from an apparent mol wt (Mr) of 123,000 to a Mr of 118,000, and the beta-subunit from a Mr of 92,000 to 89,000. The susceptibility of the insulin receptor to this enzyme indicates that its carbohydrate units contain poly-N-acetyllactosamine sequences. Affinity chromatography of receptor glycopeptides on Concanavalin-A-Sepharose revealed that the poly-N-acetyllactosamine units were attached to multiantennary glycopeptides that accounted for over 75% of the [3H]glucosamine incorporated into the IM-9 lymphocyte insulin receptor; the remaining radioactivity was present in polymannose units (primarily Man8GlcNAc2) and biantennary complex saccharides. Several differences in the carbohydrate chains of the insulin receptor from the Fao and IM-9 cells indicated that glycosylation was cell specific despite the occurrence of poly-N-acetyllactosamine chains in both cell types. The IM-9 lymphocyte receptor glycopeptides were larger (Mr, 3,200-9,500) and more susceptible to endo-beta-galactosidase than those from the Fao receptor (Mr, 3,000-5,000). Moreover, the released saccharides from the Fao receptor were found by exoglycosidase digestions and chromatographic comparison to standards to contain terminal sialic acid in both alpha 2----3 and alpha 2----6 linkage to galactose, whereas the IM-9 carbohydrate units contained only alpha 2----3-linked sialic acid.

Demonstration that Golgi endo-alpha-D-mannosidase provides a glucosidase-independent pathway for the formation of complex N-linked oligosaccharides of glycoproteins.

Studies on N-linked oligosaccharide processing were undertaken in HepG2 cells and calf thyroid slices to explore the possibility that the recently described Golgi endo-alpha-D-mannosidase (Lubas, W.A., and Spiro, R.G. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 3775-3781) is responsible for the frequently noted failure of glucosidase inhibitors to achieve complete cessation of complex carbohydrate unit synthesis. We have found that in the presence of the glucosidase inhibitors, castanospermine (CST) or 1-deoxynojirimycin, there is a substantial production of the glucosylated mannose saccharides (Glc3Man, Glc2Man, and Glc1Man) which are the characteristic products of endomannosidase action. Furthermore, in HepG2 cells, a secretion of these components into the medium could be demonstrated. Characterization of the N-linked polymannose oligosaccharides produced by HepG2 cells in the presence of CST (as well as 1-deoxymannojirimycin to prevent processing by alpha-mannosidase I) indicated the occurrence, in addition to the expected glucosylated species, of substantial amounts of Man8GlcNAc and Man7GlcNAc. Since Man9GlcNAc was almost completely absent and the Man8GlcNAc isomer was shown to be identical with that formed by the in vitro action of endomannosidase on glucosylated polymannose oligosaccharides, we concluded that this enzyme was actively functioning in the intact cells and could provide a pathway for circumventing the glucosidase blockade. Indeed, quantitative studies in HepG2 cells supported this contention as the continued formation of complex carbohydrate units (50% of control) during CST inhibition could be accounted for by the deglucosylation effected by endomannosidase.

Effect of the carbohydrate moiety on the secondary structure of .beta.2-glycoprotein. I. Implications for the biosynthesis and folding of glycoproteins

By use of six highly purified exoglycosidases with well-defined specificity, the oligosaccharide units of human plasma beta 2-glycoprotein I (beta 2I) were modified by sequential enzymatic degradation. The released monosaccharides (NeuAc, Gal, GlcNAc, and Man) were quantified, and the carbohydrate compositions of the resulting glycoprotein (gp) derivatives were determined. The gp was found to be both partially sialylated and galactosylated. These findings which are in agreement with earlier reports suggest that the carbohydrate moiety of beta 2I possesses more bi- than tri-antennas, probably three of the former and two of the latter carbohydrate units. Circular dichroic (CD) spectra of native beta 2I and its derivatives were measured in aqueous buffer and 2-chloroethanol (2-CE). Analysis of these spectra for elements of secondary structure showed beta 2I and most of the derivatives to contain predominantly beta-sheet and beta-turn structures. The lack of alpha-helical structures in aqueous buffer was noted. Removal of a large portion of the carbohydrate moiety did not alter the CD spectra or secondary structure of beta 2I in either aqueous buffer or in 2-CE. However, after enzymatic removal of approximately 96% of the carbohydrate moiety, large significant changes in the spectra and secondary structures were observed. In aqueous buffer a shift in the wavelength minimum occurred, accompanied by an increase in the magnitude of the molar ellipticity and the amount of beta-turn, with a reduction in random coil. One-third of the amino acids which were originally in random coil conformation assumed beta-turns after removal of 96% of the carbohydrate moiety.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Concanavalin A Binds Pyranosides and Their Tetraacetates Stereoselectively

A predominantly planar bonding site for carbohydrate units is deduced for the protein con-canavalin A from the fact that vesicles with pyranoside units such as 1 and their tetraacetates 2 are almost equally well and equally selectively bound.