Analysis Of N-glycosylation Sites Research Articles

N-glycosylation Site Analysis Reveals Sex-related Differences in Protein N-glycosylation in the Rice Brown Planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens)

Glycosylation is a common modification of proteins and critical for a wide range of biological processes. Differences in protein glycosylation between sexes have already been observed in humans, nematodes and trematodes, and have recently also been reported in the rice pest insect Nilaparvata lugens Although protein N-glycosylation in insects is nowadays of high interest because of its potential for exploitation in pest control strategies, the functionality of differential N-glycosylation between sexes is yet unknown. In this study, therefore, the occurrence and role of sex-related protein N-glycosylation in insects were examined. A comprehensive investigation of the N-glycosylation sites from the adult stages of N. lugens was conducted, allowing a qualitative and quantitative comparison between sexes at the glycopeptide level. N-glycopeptide enrichment via lectin capturing using the high mannose/paucimannose-binding lectin Concanavalin A, or the Rhizoctonia solani agglutinin which interacts with complex N-glycans, resulted in the identification of over 1300 N-glycosylation sites derived from over 600 glycoproteins. Comparison of these N-glycopeptides revealed striking differences in protein N-glycosylation between sexes. Male- and female-specific N-glycosylation sites were identified, and some of these sex-specific N-glycosylation sites were shown to be derived from proteins with a putative role in insect reproduction. In addition, differential glycan composition between males and females was observed for proteins shared across sexes. Both lectin blotting experiments as well as transcript expression analyses with complete insects and insect tissues confirmed the observed differences in N-glycosylation of proteins between sexes. In conclusion, this study provides further evidence for protein N-glycosylation to be sex-related in insects. Furthermore, original data on N-glycosylation sites of N. lugens adults are presented, providing novel insights into planthopper's biology and information for future biological pest control strategies.

Preliminary shotgun glycoproteome analysis of N-glycosylation sites in serum proteins of ricin-intoxicated rats

In this study, the variations of serum glycoproteins after exposure to ricin toxin (RT) in Wistar albino rats are reported. For glycopeptide enrichment, Microcon YM-3 centrifugal filter device capture and micro-liquid chromatography (LC)–electrospray ionization (ESI)–tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) analysis were used; 74 trypsin-digested proteins were identified in the control group, and 58 in the RT-intoxication group. Additionally, 33 N-glycosides and 14 glycoproteins were identified in the control, and 50 and 21 in the RT-intoxication group.

N-Glycosylation Site Analysis of Proteins from Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Using Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography-Based Enrichment, Parallel Deglycosylation, and Mass Spectrometry

N-Glycosylation site analysis of baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is of fundamental significance to elucidate the molecular mechanism of human congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG). Here we present a mass spectrometry (MS)-based workflow for the profiling of N-glycosylated sites in S. cerevisiae proteins. In this workflow, proteolytic glycopeptides were enriched by using a hydrophilic material named Click TE-Cys to improve the glycopeptide selectivity and coverage. To enhance the reliability of the identified results, the enriched glycopeptides were subjected to parallel deglycosylation by using two endoglycosidases (i.e., PNGase F and Endo Hf), respectively, prior to LC-MS/MS analysis. On the basis of the workflow, a total of 135 N-glycosylated sites including 6 known, 93 potential, and 36 novel sites were identified and mapped to 79 proteins. Among the novel-type sites, nine sites from eight proteins, which were simultaneously identified via PNGase F and Endo Hf deglycosylation, are believed to possess high confidence. The established workflow, together with the profile of N-glycosylated sites, will contribute to the improvement of S. cerevisiae model for revealing the pathogenesis of CDG.

Rapid glycopeptide enrichment and N-glycosylation site mapping strategies based on amine-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles

Glycoproteins secreted or expressed on the cell surface at specific pathophysiological stages are well-recognized disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets. While mapping of specific glycan structures can be performed at the level of released glycans, site-specific glycosylation and identification of specific protein carriers can only be determined by analysis of glycopeptides. A key enabling step in mass spectrometry (MS)-based glycoproteomics is the ability to selectively or non-selectively enrich for the glycopeptides from a total pool of a digested proteome for MS analysis since the highly heterogeneous glycopeptides are usually present at low abundance and ionize poorly compared with non-glycosylated peptides. Among the most common approaches for non-destructive and non-glycan-selective glycopeptide enrichment are strategies based on various forms of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC). We present here a variation of this method using amine-derivatized Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles, in concert with in situ peptide N-glycosidase F digestion for direct matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–mass spectrometry analysis of N-glycosylation sites and the released glycans. Conditions were also optimized for efficient elution of the enriched glycopeptides from the nanoparticles for on-line nanoflow liquid chromatography–MS/MS analysis. Successful applications to single glycoproteins as well as total proteomic mixtures derived from biological fluids established the unrivaled practical versatility of this method, with enrichment efficiency comparable to other HILIC-based methods.

Identification of N-Glycosylation Sites on Secreted Proteins of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells with a Complementary Proteomics Approach

N-linked glycosylation is prevalent in proteins destined for extracellular environments; nearly all secreted proteins are glycosylated. However, with respect to their glycosylation sites, little attention has been paid. Here, we report the analysis of N-glycosylation sites on secreted proteins of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. For the enrichment of glycopeptides, capture methods with hydrophilic affinity (HA) and hydrazide chemistry (HC) were used complementarily. With the use of both methods in combination with nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis, 300 different glycosylation sites within 194 unique glycoproteins were identified, and 172 glycosites have not been determined experimentally previously. A direct comparison between HA and HC methods was also investigated for the first time. In brief, in terms of selectivity for glycopeptides, HC is superior to HA (92.9% vs 51.3%); however, based on the number of glycosites identified, HA outweighs HC (265 vs 159). Furthermore, unavoidable contaminants such as actin and bovine serum albumin which are not N-glycosylated could be easily depleted by using this glycoproteomic strategy. As a consequence, more low-abundance and genuinely secreted proteins were identified. Among the glycoproteins identified, alpha-fetoprotein, CD44 and laminin have been reported to be implicated in HCC and its metastasis.

Enhanced N-Glycosylation Site Analysis of Sialoglycopeptides by Strong Cation Exchange Prefractionation Applied to Platelet Plasma Membranes

Elucidation of post-translational modifications to proteins, such as glycosylations or phosphorylations, is one of the major issues concerning ongoing proteomics studies. To reduce general sample complexity, a necessary prerequisite is specific enrichment of peptide subsets prior to mass spectrometric sequencing. Regarding analysis of overall N-glycosylation sites in the past, this has been achieved by several approaches proving to be more or less complicated and specific. Here we present a novel strategy to target N-glycosylation sites with application to platelet membrane proteins. Initial aqueous two-phase partitioning for membrane enrichment and single step strong cation exchange-based purification of glycopeptides resulted in identification of 148 glycosylation sites on 79 different protein species. Although 69% of these sites were not annotated in the Swiss-Prot database before, a high number of 75% plasma membrane-localized proteins were analyzed. Furthermore miniaturizations and relative quantification are comprised in the developed method suggesting further use in other proteome projects. Results on platelet glycosylation sites may imply an impact on research of bleeding disorders as well as potential new functions in inflammation and immunoactivity.

An Enzymatic Deglycosylation Scheme Enabling Identification of Core Fucosylated N-Glycans and O-Glycosylation Site Mapping of Human Plasma Proteins

Global proteome analysis of protein glycosylation is a major challenge due to the inherent heterogeneous and diverse nature of this post-translational modification. It is therefore common to enzymatically remove glycans attached to protein or peptide chains prior to mass spectrometric analysis, thereby reducing the complexity and facilitating glycosylation site determinations. Here, we have used two different enzymatic deglycosylation strategies for N-glycosylation site analysis. (1) Removal of entire N-glycan chains by peptide-N-glycosidase (PNGase) digestion, with concomitant deamidation of the released asparagine residue. The reaction is carried out in H218O to facilitate identification of the formerly glycosylated peptide by incorporatation of 18O into the formed aspartic acid residue. (2) Digestion with two endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases (Endo D and Endo H) that cleave the glycosidic bond between the two N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) residues in the conserved N-glycan core structure, leaving single GlcNAc residues with putative fucosyl side chains attached to the peptide. To enable digestion of complex and hybrid type N-glycans, a number of exoglycosidases (beta-galactosidase, neuraminidase and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase) are also included. The two strategies were here applied to identify 103 N-glycosylation sites in the Cohn IV fraction of human plasma. In addition, Endo D/H digestion uniquely enabled identification of 23 fucosylated N-glycosylation sites. Several O-glycosylated peptides were also identified with a single N-acetylhexosamine attached, arguably due to partial deglycosylation of O-glycan structures by the exoglycosidases used together with Endo D/H.

Sequence analysis of the full-length glycoprotein 120 gene of HIV-1 CRF01_AE in Fujian, China

To characterize full length glycoprotein 120 gene variations of 21 HIV-1 CRF01_AE isolated in Fujian, China, so as to help in the immunogenic research and vaccine design. Twenty-one peripheral blood samples were randomly collected form 100 HIV-1CRF01_AE infected persons in Fujian 2004 approximately 2005. DNA was extracted, Nested-PCR was used to amplify the envelop protein full length gp120 gene. The PVR products underwent Sepharose electrophoresis. Genotype identification was done by BLAST program. Sequence analysis was conducted with Megalign and CLUSTAL1.83. Phylogenetic tree and genetic distance were analyzed by Neighbor-joining method and Distance program of MEGA software. The amino acid similarity analysis was done with DNASIS, and N-glycosylation site analysis was done with N-GLYCOSIDE program. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that these 21 HIV-1 subtype CRF01_AE strains clustered with the AE reference strain, with an overall genetic distance of 9.5% +/- 2.5%. There were four types of V3 loop central motif: GPGQ (71.43%), GPGR (19.05%), GPGH (4.76%), and GQGQ (4.76%). Prediction of the potential use of co-receptors on the basis of the critical amino acids within V3 loop disclosed potential use of CCR4/CCR5 in 16 of the 21 sequences (76.19%), potential use of CCR4/CCR5 in 1 sequence (4.76%), and 4 samples (19.05%) failed to be predicted. Amino acid sequence analysis showed that V3 region was relatively conservative, whereas V1, V2, V4, and V5 wee more variable. N-linked glycosylation site analysis showed that most of the 21 sequences were relatively conservative. Sequences analysis show Most of the CRF01_AE virus strains in Fujian have a complicated source, and most of them are closely related to those of Southeast Asia and belong to the non-syncytium inducing (NSI) type.

Elucidation of N-Glycosylation Sites on Human Platelet Proteins

Among known platelet proteins, a prominent and functionally important group is represented by glycoprotein isoforms. They account e.g. for secretory proteins and plasma membrane receptors including integrins and glycoprotein VI as well as intracellular components of cytosol and organelles including storage proteins (multimerin 1 etc.). Although many of those proteins have been studied for some time with regard to their function, little attention has been paid with respect to their glycosylation sites. Here we report the analysis of N-glycosylation sites of human platelet proteins. For the enrichment of glycopeptides, lectin affinity chromatography as well as chemical trapping of protein bound oligosaccharides was used. Therefore, concanavalin A was used for specific interaction with carbohydrate species along with periodic acid oxidation and hydrazide bead trapping of glycosylated proteins. Derivatization by peptide:N-glycosidase F yielded deglycosylated peptides, which provided the basis for the elucidation of proteins and their sites of modification. Using both methods in combination with nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis 70 different glycosylation sites within 41 different proteins were identified. Comparison with the Swiss-Prot database established that the majority of these 70 sites have not been specifically determined by previous research projects. With this approach including hydrazide bead affinity trapping, the immunoglobulin receptor G6f, which is known to couple to the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in the immune system, was shown here for the first time to be present in human platelets.