Characterization of the carbohydrate binding specificity and kinetic parameters of lectins by using surface plasmon resonance

Stereoselective synthesis of photoactivatable Man(β1,4)GlcNAc-based bioorthogonal probes

We report an operationally facile protocol to prepare photoactivatable probes of the bioactive mammalian disaccharide, Man(β1,4)GlcNAc. Using conformationally restricted mannosyl hemi-acetal donors in a one-pot chlorination, iodination and glycosylation sequence, β-mannosides were generated in excellent diastereoselectivities and yields. Upon accessing the disaccharide, we generated the corresponding photoactivatable probes by appending a diazirine-alkyne equipped linker via a condensation reaction between a diazirine-containing linker and C-1 and C-2 derivatized mannosylamines to furnish the desired C-1 and C-2 modified Man(β1,4)GlcNAc-based probes. This new synthetic protocol greatly simplifies the preparation of this important bioactive disaccharide to enable future work to identify its protein binding partners in cells.

Mechanistic basis of staphylococcal interspecies competition for skin colonization

Staphylococci, whether beneficial commensals or pathogens, often colonize human skin, potentially leading to competition for the same niche. In this multidisciplinary study we investigate the structure, binding specificity, and mechanism of adhesion of the Aap lectin domain required for Staphylococcus epidermidis skin colonization and compare its characteristics to the lectin domain from the orthologous Staphylococcus aureus adhesin SasG. The Aap structure reveals a legume lectin-like fold with atypical architecture, showing specificity for N-acetyllactosamine and sialyllactosamine. Bacterial adhesion assays using human corneocytes confirmed the biological relevance of these Aap-glycan interactions. Single-cell force spectroscopy experiments measured individual binding events between Aap and corneocytes, revealing an extraordinarily tight adhesion force of nearly 900 nN and a high density of receptors at the corneocyte surface. The SasG lectin domain shares similar structural features, glycan specificity, and corneocyte adhesion behavior. We observe cross-inhibition of Aap-and SasG-mediated staphylococcal adhesion to corneocytes. Together, these data provide insights into staphylococcal interspecies competition for skin colonization and suggest potential avenues for inhibition of S. aureus colonization.

Simplifying the detection and monitoring of protein glycosylation during in vitro glycoengineering

The majority of mammalian proteins are glycosylated, with the glycans serving to modulate a wide range of biological activities. Variations in protein glycosylation can have dramatic effects on protein stability, immunogenicity, antibody effector function, pharmacological safety and potency, as well as serum half-life. The glycosylation of therapeutic biologicals is a critical quality attribute (CQA) that must be carefully monitored to ensure batch-to-batch consistency. Notably, many factors can affect the composition of the glycans during glycoprotein production, and variations in glycosylation are among the leading causes of pharmaceutical batch rejection. Currently, the characterization of protein glycosylation relies heavily on methods that employ chromatography and/or mass spectrometry, which require a high level of expertise, are time-consuming and costly and, because they are challenging to implement during in-process biologics production or during in vitro glycan modification, are generally performed only post-production. Here we report a simplified approach to assist in monitoring glycosylation features during glycoprotein engineering, that employs flow cytometry using fluorescent microspheres chemically coupled to high-specificity glycan binding reagents. In our GlycoSense method, a range of carbohydrate-sensing microspheres with distinct optical properties may be combined into a multiplex suspension array capable of detecting multiple orthogonal glycosylation features simultaneously, using commonplace instrumentation, without the need for glycan release. The GlycoSense method is not intended to replace more detailed post-production glycan profiling, but instead, to complement them by potentially providing a cost-effective, rapid, yet robust method for use at-line as a process analytic technology (PAT) in a biopharmaceutical workflow or at the research bench. The growing interest in using in vitro glycoengineering to generate glycoproteins with well-defined glycosylation, provides motivation to demonstrate the capabilities of the GlycoSense method, which we apply here to monitor changes in the protein glycosylation pattern (GlycoPrint) during the in vitro enzymatic modification of the glycans in model glycoproteins.

Chemoproteomic mapping of human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) interactions in cells

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a family of unconjugated soluble glycans found in human breast milk that exhibit a myriad of biological activity. While recent studies have uncovered numerous biological functions for HMOs (antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory & probiotic properties), the receptors and protein binding partners involved in these processes are not well characterized. This can be attributed largely in part to the low affinity and transient nature of soluble glycan-protein interactions, precluding the use of traditional characterization techniques to survey binding partners in live cells. Here, we present the use of synthetic photoactivatable HMO probes to capture, enrich and identify HMO protein targets in live cells using mass spectrometry-based chemoproteomics. Following initial validation studies using purified lectins, we profiled the targets of HMO probes in live mouse macrophages. Using this strategy, we mapped hundreds of HMO binding partners across multiple cellular compartments, including many known glycan-binding proteins as well as numerous proteins previously not known to bind glycans. We expect our findings to inform future investigations of the diverse roles of how HMOs may regulate protein function.

Comprehensive analysis of lectin-glycan interactions reveals determinants of lectin specificity

Lectin-glycan interactions facilitate inter- and intracellular communication in many processes including protein trafficking, host-pathogen recognition, and tumorigenesis promotion. Specific recognition of glycans by lectins is also the basis for a wide range of applications in areas including glycobiology research, cancer screening, and antiviral therapeutics. To provide a better understanding of the determinants of lectin-glycan interaction specificity and support such applications, this study comprehensively investigates specificity-conferring features of all available lectin-glycan complex structures. Systematic characterization, comparison, and predictive modeling of a set of 221 complementary physicochemical and geometric features representing these interactions highlighted specificity-conferring features with potential mechanistic insight. Univariable comparative analyses with weighted Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests revealed strong statistical associations between binding site features and specificity that are conserved across unrelated lectin binding sites. Multivariable modeling with random forests demonstrated the utility of these features for predicting the identity of bound glycans based on generalized patterns learned from non-homologous lectins. These analyses revealed global determinants of lectin specificity, such as sialic acid glycan recognition in deep, concave binding sites enriched for positively charged residues, in contrast to high mannose glycan recognition in fairly shallow but well-defined pockets enriched for non-polar residues. Focused fine specificity analysis of hemagglutinin interactions with human-like and avian-like glycans uncovered features representing both known and novel mutations related to shifts in influenza tropism from avian to human tissues. As the approach presented here relies on co-crystallized lectin-glycan pairs for studying specificity, it is limited in its inferences by the quantity, quality, and diversity of the structural data available. Regardless, the systematic characterization of lectin binding sites presented here provides a novel approach to studying lectin specificity and is a step towards confidently predicting new lectin-glycan interactions.

Pathological features in 'humanized' neonatal pig

Cytidine monophosphate-Nacetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) hydroxylase (CMAH) and glycoprotein, alpha1, 3-galactosyltransferase (GGTA1) double knockout (DKO) pig models were produced to reduce immune reaction for xenotransplantation. However, the role of Neu5Gc and α-Gal in pigs has not been fully elucidated and it is necessary to consider the after-effect of inactivation of GGTA1 and CMAH in pigs. Hematological profiles of DKO pigs were analyzed through complete blood count (CBC). Histology of liver and spleen of DKO were investigated, and lectin blotting and mass spectrometry (MS) were performed to explore glycosylation changes in red blood cell (RBC) membranes of DKO pigs. DKO pigs showed common clinical signs such as weakness (100%), dyspnea (90%) and constipation (65%). DKO pigs revealed a significant decrease in RBC, hemoglobin (HGB) and hematocrit (HGB), and an increase in white blood cell (WBC), lymphocyte (LYM), monocyte (MON), and erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume (MCV). DKO piglets showed swollen liver and spleen, and exhibited raised deposition of hemosiderin and severe bleeding. Lectin assay and MS proved variations in glycosylation on RBC membranes. GGTA1/CMAH DKO pigs developed pathological features which are similar to anemic symptoms, and the variations in glycosylation on RBC membranes of DKO pigs may be attributed to the pathologies observed.

VEGF-A splice variants bind VEGFRs with differential affinities

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and its binding to VEGFRs is an important angiogenesis regulator, especially the earliest-known isoform, VEGF-A165a. Yet several additional splice variants play prominent roles in regulating angiogenesis in health and in vascular disease, including VEGF-A121 and an anti-angiogenic variant, VEGF-A165b. Few studies have attempted to distinguish these forms from their angiogenic counterparts, experimentally. Previous studies of VEGF-A:VEGFR binding have measured binding kinetics for VEGFA165 and VEGF-A121, but binding kinetics of the other two pro- and all anti-angiogenic splice variants are not known. We measured the binding kinetics for VEGF-A165, -A165b, and -A121 with VEGFR1 and VEGF-R2 using surface plasmon resonance. We validated our methods by reproducing the known affinities between VEGF-A165a:VEGFR1 and VEGF-A165a:VEGFR2, 1.0 pM and 10 pM respectively, and validated the known affinity VEGF-A121:VEGFR2 as KD = 0.66 nM. We found that VEGF-A121 also binds VEGFR1 with an affinity KD = 3.7 nM. We further demonstrated that the anti-angiogenic variant, VEGF-A165b selectively prefers VEGFR2 binding at an affinity = 0.67 pM while binding VEGFR1 with a weaker affinity-KD = 1.4 nM. These results suggest that the - A165b anti-angiogenic variant would preferentially bind VEGFR2. These discoveries offer a new paradigm for understanding VEGF-A, while further stressing the need to take care in differentiating the splice variants in all future VEGF-A studies.

130 years of Plant Lectin Research

Lectins are proteins with diverse molecular structures that share the ability to recognize and bind specifically and reversibly to carbohydrate structures without changing the carbohydrate moiety. The history of lectins started with the discovery of ricin about 130 years ago but since then our understanding of lectins has dramatically changed. Over the years the research focus was shifted from 'the characterization of carbohydrate-binding proteins' to 'understanding the biological function of lectins'. Nowadays plant lectins attract a lot of attention especially because of their potential for crop improvement and biomedical research, as well as their application as tools in glycobiology. The present review aims to give an overview of plant lectins and their applications, and how the field evolved in the last decades.

Extending the Martini Coarse-Grained Force Field to N-Glycans

Glycans play a vital role in a large number of cellular processes. Their complex and flexible nature hampers structure-function studies using experimental techniques. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can help in understanding dynamic aspects of glycans if the force field parameters used can reproduce key experimentally observed properties. Here, we present optimized coarse-grained (CG) Martini force field parameters for N-glycans, calibrated against experimentally derived binding affinities for lectins. The CG bonded parameters were obtained from atomistic (ATM) simulations for different glycan topologies including high mannose and complex glycans with various branching patterns. In the CG model, additional elastic networks are shown to improve maintenance of the overall conformational distribution. Solvation free energies and octanol-water partition coefficients were also calculated for various N-glycan disaccharide combinations. When using standard Martini nonbonded parameters, we observed that glycans spontaneously aggregated in the solution and required down-scaling of their interactions for reproduction of ATM model radial distribution functions. We also optimized the nonbonded interactions for glycans interacting with seven lectin candidates and show that a relatively modest scaling down of the glycan-protein interactions can reproduce free energies obtained from experimental studies. These parameters should be of use in studying the role of glycans in various glycoproteins and carbohydrate binding proteins as well as their complexes, while benefiting from the efficiency of CG sampling.

The Convergence of Cell-Based Surface Plasmon Resonance and Biomaterials: The Future of Quantifying Bio-molecular Interactions-A Review

Cell biology is driven by complex networks of biomolecular interactions. Characterizing the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of these interactions is crucial to understanding their role in different physiological processes. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based approaches have become a key tool in quantifying biomolecular interactions, however conventional approaches require isolating the interacting components from the cellular system. Cell-based SPR approaches have recently emerged, promising to enable precise measurements of biomolecular interactions within their normal biological context. Two major approaches have been developed, offering their own advantages and limitations. These approaches currently lack a systematic exploration of 'best practices' like those existing for traditional SPR experiments. Toward this end, we describe the two major approaches, and identify the experimental parameters that require exploration, and discuss the experimental considerations constraining the optimization of each. In particular, we discuss the requirements of future biomaterial development needed to advance the cell-based SPR technique.

Advances in Tools to Determine the Glycan-Binding Specificities of Lectins and Antibodies

Proteins that bind carbohydrate structures can serve as tools to quantify or localize specific glycans in biological specimens. Such proteins, including lectins and glycan-binding antibodies, are particularly valuable if accurate information is available about the glycans that a protein binds. Glycan arrays have been transformational for uncovering rich information about the nuances and complexities of glycan-binding specificity. A challenge, however, has been the analysis of the data. Because protein-glycan interactions are so complex, simplistic modes of analyzing the data and describing glycan-binding specificities have proven inadequate in many cases. This review surveys the methods for handling high-content data on protein-glycan interactions. We contrast the approaches that have been demonstrated and provide an overview of the resources that are available. We also give an outlook on the promising experimental technologies for generating new insights into protein-glycan interactions, as well as a perspective on the limitations that currently face the field.

Lectin biosensors in cancer glycan biomarker detection

Cancer has high incidence and it will continue to increase over the next decades. Detection and quantification of cancer-associated biomarkers is frequently carried out for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment monitoring at various disease stages. It is well-known that glycosylation profiles change significantly during oncogenesis. Aberrant glycans produced during tumorigenesis are, therefore, valuable molecules for detection and characterization of cancer, and for therapeutic design and monitoring. Although glycoproteomics has benefited from the development of analytical tools such as high performance liquid chromatography, two-dimensional gel and capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, these approaches are not well suited for rapid point-of-care (POC) testing easily performed by medical staff. Lectins are biomolecules found in nature with specific affinities toward particular glycan structures and bind them thus forming a relatively strong complex. Because of this characteristic, lectins have been used in analytical techniques for the selective capture or separation of certain glycans in complex samples, namely, in lectin affinity chromatography, or to characterize glycosylation profiles in diverse clinical situations, using lectin microarrays. Lectin-based biosensors have been developed for the detection of specific aberrant and cancer-associated glycostructures to aid diagnosis, prognosis and treatment assessment of these patients. The attractive features of biosensors, such as portability and simple use make them highly suitable for POC testing. Recent developments in lectin biosensors, as well as their potential and pitfalls in cancer glycan biomarker detection, are presented in this chapter.

Lectin-Binding Specificity of the Fertilization-Relevant Protein PDC-109 by Means of Surface Plasmon Resonance and Carbohydrate REcognition Domain EXcision-Mass Spectrometry

Seminal plasma proteins are relevant for sperm functionality and some appear responsible for establishing sperm interactions with the various environments along the female genital tract towards the oocyte. In recent years, research has focused on characterizing the role of these proteins in the context of reproductive biology, fertility diagnostics and treatment of related problems. Herein, we focus on the main protein of bovine seminal plasma, PDC-109 (BSP-A1/-A2), which by virtue of its lectin properties is involved in fertilization. By means of surface plasmon resonance, the interaction of PDC-109 with a panel of the most relevant glycosidic epitopes of mammals has been qualitatively and quantitatively characterized, and a higher affinity for carbohydrates containing fucose has been observed, in line with previous studies. Additionally, using the orthogonal technique of Carbohydrate REcognition Domain EXcision-Mass Spectrometry (CREDEX-MS), the recognition domain of the interaction complexes between PDC-109 and all fucosylated disaccharides [(Fuc-α1,(3,4,6)-GlcNAc)] has been defined, revealing the specific glycotope and the peptide domain likely to act as the PDC-109 carbohydrate binding site.

Differential recognition of natural and remodeled glycotopes by three Diocleae lectins

The carbohydrate specificities of Dioclea grandiflora lectins DGL-I¹ and DGL-II, and Galactia lindenii lectin II (GLL-II) were explored by use of remodeled glycoproteins as well as by the lectin hemagglutinating activity against erythrocytes from various species with different glycomic profiles. The three lectins exhibited differences in glycan binding specificity but also showed overlapping recognition of some glycotopes (i.e. Tα glycotope for the three lectins; IIβ glycotope for DGL-II and GLL-II lectins); in many cases the interaction with distinct glycotopes was influenced by the structural context, i.e., by the neighbouring sugar residues. Our data complement and expand the existing knowledge about the binding specificity of these three Diocleae lectins, and taken together with results of previous studies, allow us to suggest a functional map of the carbohydrate recognition which illustrate the impact of modification of basic glycotopes enhancing, permiting, or inhibiting their recognition by each lectin.

Discovery of High-Affinity PDGF-VEGFR Interactions: Redefining RTK Dynamics

Nearly all studies of angiogenesis have focused on uni-family ligand-receptor binding, e.g., VEGFs bind to VEGF receptors, PDGFs bind to PDGF receptors, etc. The discovery of VEGF-PDGFRs binding challenges this paradigm and calls for investigation of other ligand-receptor binding possibilities. We utilized surface plasmon resonance to identify and measure PDGF-to-VEGFR binding rates, establishing cut-offs for binding and non-binding interactions. We quantified the kinetics of the recent VEGF-A:PDGFRβ interaction for the first time with K_D = 340 pM. We discovered new PDGF:VEGFR2 interactions with PDGF-AA:R2 K_D = 530 nM, PDGF-AB:R2 K_D = 110 pM, PDGF-BB:R2 K_D = 40 nM, and PDGF-CC:R2 K_D = 70 pM. We computationally predict that cross-family PDGF binding could contribute up to 96% of VEGFR2 ligation in healthy conditions and in cancer. Together the identification, quantification, and simulation of these novel cross-family interactions posits new mechanisms for understanding anti-angiogenic drug resistance and presents an expanded role of growth factor signaling with significance in health and disease.

Glycan profiling of proteins using lectin binding by Surface Plasmon Resonance

Glycan profiling of proteins was studied through their lectin binding activity by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). To validate the method, we monitored specific lectin binding with sequential removal of sugar moieties from human transferrin using specific glycosidases. The results clearly indicated that glycans on the protein can be identified by their selective binding activity to various lectins. Using this method, we characterized Fc glycosylation profiles of therapeutic peptibodies and antibodies expressed in mammalian cells (CHO and HEK 293 6E cells), with E. coli expressed proteins as the negative controls. We observed that antibodies expressed in CHO cells did not contain any sialic acid, while antibodies expressed in 293 6E cells contained sialic acid. CHO cell expressed antibodies were also more heavily fucosylated than the ones expressed by 293 6E cells. We further applied this method to measure the fucose composition of glycan engineered mouse antibodies, as well as to determine mannose composition of human antibody variants with depletion or enrichment of high mannose. The glycan profiles generated using this method were comparable to results from 2-AB labeled glycan analysis of normal-phase separated glycans, and Fc gamma receptor binding activity of the glycan engineered antibodies were consistent with their glycan profiles. Hence, we demonstrated that SPR lectin binding analysis can be a quick alternative method to profile protein glycosylation.

Combining metabolic and process engineering strategies to improve recombinant glycoprotein production and quality

Increasing recombinant protein production while ensuring a high and consistent protein quality remains a challenge in mammalian cell culture process development. In this work, we combined a nutrient substitution approach with a metabolic engineering strategy that improves glucose utilization efficiency. This combination allowed us to tackle both lactate and ammonia accumulation and investigate on potential synergistic effects on protein production and quality. To this end, HEK293 cells overexpressing the pyruvate yeast carboxylase (PYC2) and their parental cells, both stably producing the therapeutic glycoprotein interferon α2b (IFNα2b), were cultured in media deprived of glutamine but containing chosen substitutes. Among the tested substitutes, pyruvate led to the best improvement in growth (integral of viable cell density) for both cell lines in batch cultures, whereas the culture of PYC2 cells without neither glutamine nor any substitute displayed surprisingly enhanced IFNα2b production. The drastic reduction in both lactate and ammonia in the cultures translated into extended high viability conditions and an increase in recombinant protein titer by up to 47% for the parental cells and the PYC2 cells. Product characterization performed by surface plasmon resonance biosensing using Sambucus nigra (SNA) lectin revealed that the increase in yield was however accompanied by a reduction in the degree of sialylation of the product. Supplementing cultures with glycosylation precursors and a cofactor were effective at counterbalancing the lack of glutamine and allowed improvement in IFNα2b quality as evaluated by lectin affinity. Our study provides a strategy to reconcile protein productivity and quality and highlights the advantages of PYC2-overexpressing cells in glutamine-free conditions.

A Review of the Antiviral Properties of Black Elder (Sambucus nigra L.) Products

Black elder (Sambucus nigra L.) has a long ethnobotanical history across many disparate cultures as a treatment for viral infection and is currently one of the most-used medicinal plants worldwide. Until recently, however, substantial scientific research concerning its antiviral properties has been lacking. Here, we evaluate the state of current scientific research concerning the use of elderberry extract and related products as antivirals, particularly in the treatment of influenza, as well as their safety and health impacts as dietary supplements. While the extent of black elder's antiviral effects are not well known, antiviral and antimicrobial properties have been demonstrated in these extracts, and the safety of black elder is reflected by the United States Food and Drug Administration approval as generally recognized as safe. A deficit of studies comparing these S. nigra products and standard antiviral medications makes informed and detailed recommendations for use of S. nigra extracts in medical applications currently impractical. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Synthetic Assembly of Mannose Moieties Using Polymer Chemistry and the Biological Evaluation of Its Interaction towards Concanavalin A

Protein-carbohydrate interactions exhibit myriad intracellular recognition events, so understanding and investigating their specific interaction with high selectivity and strength are of crucial importance. In order to examine the effect of multivalent binding on the specificity of protein-carbohydrate interactions, we synthesized mannose glycosides as a novel type of glycosylated monomer and glycopolymers of polyacrylamide derivatives with α-mannose (α-Man) by radical polymerization and monitored their strength of interaction with concanavalin A (Con A) by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) detection. In a quantitative test using the Con A-immobilized sensor surface, the kinetic affinity for the synthesized polymers, 8a (KD = 3.3 × 10-6 M) and 8b (KD = 5.3 × 10-5 M), were concentration-dependent, showing strong, specific molecular recognition abilities with lectin. Our study showed the enhancement in recognition specificity for multivalent saccharides, which is often mediated by cell surface carbohydrate-binding proteins that exhibit weak affinity and broad specificity for the individual ligands.

Altering the central carbon metabolism of HEK293 cells: Impact on recombinant glycoprotein quality

The accumulation of metabolic by-products remains a critical challenge in the development of mammalian cells culture processes as it impacts cellular growth, productivity and product quality. Although the overexpression of the PYC2 gene was shown to significantly improve the nutrient metabolism efficiency of mammalian cells, its impact on recombinant protein quality has not been investigated yet. In this study, we assess the effect of this metabolic engineering strategy on the quality of a recombinant therapeutic glycoprotein, the human interferon α2b (IFNα2b). As inferred from densitometry analysis of SDS-PAGE gels, PYC2-overexpressing cells sustained a higher percentage of intact glycosylated IFNα2b at the late stage of batch cultures, which was correlated with prolonged viability and reduced accumulation of waste metabolites. Contrarily to the IFNα2b produced by the PYC2 cells, LC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of less glycosylated IFNα2b as well as the occurrence of proteolytic cleavage in the IFNα2b produced in the parental cells. Taken together, these results indicate that PYC2-overexpression in mammalian cells leads to extended favorable conditions for glycosylation and offer an attractive approach to mass-produce high-quality recombinant proteins.

Novel interactions of complex carbohydrates with peanut (PNA), Ricinus communis (RCA-I), Sambucus nigra (SNA-I) and wheat germ (WGA) agglutinins as revealed by the binding specificities of these lectins towards mucin core-2 O-linked and N-linked glycans and related structures

Plant lectins through their multivalent quaternary structures bind intrinsically flexible oligosaccharides. They recognize fine structural differences in carbohydrates and interact with different sequences in mucin core 2 or complex-type N-glycan chain and also in healthy and malignant tissues. They are used in characterizing cellular and extracellular glycoconjugates modified in pathological processes. We study here, the complex carbohydrate-lectin interactions by determining the effects of substituents in mucin core 2 tetrasaccharide Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-6(Galβ1-3)GalNAcα-O-R and fetuin glycopeptides on their binding to agarose-immobilized lectins PNA, RCA-I, SNA-I and WGA. Briefly, in mucin core 2 tetrasaccharide (i) structures modified by α2-3/6-Sialyl LacNAc, LewisX and α1-3-Galactosyl LacNAc resulted in regular binding to PNA whereas compounds with 6-sulfo LacNAc displayed no-binding; (ii) strucures bearing α2-6-sialyl 6-sulfo LacNAc, or 6-sialyl LacdiNAc carbohydrates displayed strong binding to SNA-I; (iii) structures with α2-3/6-sialyl, α1-3Gal LacNAc or LewisX were non-binder to RCA-I and compounds with 6-sulfo LacNAc only displayed weak binding; (iv) structures containing LewisX, 6-Sulfo LewisX, α2-3/6-sialyl LacNAc, α2-3/6-sialyl 6-sulfo LacNAc and GalNAc Lewis-a were non-binding to WGA, those with α1-2Fucosyl, α1-3-Galactosyl LacNAc, α2-3-sialyl T-hapten plus 3'/6'sulfo LacNAc displayed weak binding, and compounds with α2-3-sialyl T-hapten, α2.6-Sialyl LacdiNAc, α2-3-sialyl D-Fucβ1-3 GalNAc and Fucα-1-2 D-Fucβ-1-3GalNAc displaying regular binding and GalNAc LewisX and LacdiNAc plus D-Fuc β-1-3 GalNAcα resulting in tight binding. RCA-I binds Fetuin triantennary asialoglycopeptide 100 % after α-2-3 and 25 % after α-2-6 sialylation, 30 % after α-1-2 and 100 % after α-1-3 fucosylation, and 50 % after α-1-3 galactosylation. WGA binds 3-but not 6-Fucosyl chitobiose core. Thus, information on the influence of complex carbohydrate chain constituents on lectin binding is apparently essential for the potential application of lectins in glycoconjugate research.

Sweet characterisation of prostate specific antigen using electrochemical lectin-based immunosensor assay and MALDI TOF/TOF analysis: Focus on sialic acid

The construction of a sensitive electrochemical lectin-based immunosensor for detection of a prostate specific antigen (PSA) is shown here. Three lectins with different carbohydrate specificities were used in this study to glycoprofile PSA, which is the most common biomarker for prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis. The biosensor showed presence of α-L-fucose and α-(2,6)-linked terminal sialic acid within PSA´s glycan with high abundance, while only traces of α-(2,3)-linked terminal sialic acid were found. MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometry was applied to validate results obtained by the biosensor with a focus on determination of a type of sialic acid linkage by two methods. The first direct comparison of electrochemical immunosensor assay employing lectins for PSA glycoprofiling with mass spectrometric techniques is provided here and both methods show significant agreement. Thus, electrochemical lectin-based immunosensor has potential to be applied for prostate cancer diagnosis.

Mutations of rat surfactant protein A have distinct effects on its glycosylation, secretion, aggregation and degradation

AIMS

Surfactant protein A (SP-A) plays critical roles in the innate immune system and surfactant homeostasis of the lung. Mutations in SP-A2 of the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) impair its glycosylation and are associated with pulmonary fibrosis in humans. We aim to examine how mutations in SP-A that impair its glycosylation affect its biological properties and lead to disease.

MAIN METHODS

We generated rat SP-A constructs with two types of mutations that impair its glycosylation: N-glycosylation site mutations (N21T, N207S and N21T/N207S) and disease-associated CRD mutations (G231V, F198S). We transfected these constructs into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cells and assessed biochemical differences in cellular and secreted wild-type and mutant SP-As by western blot, immunofluorescence, and sensitivity to enzymatic digestion.

KEY FINDINGS

Mutations of the CRD completely impaired SP-A secretion, whereas mutations of N-glycosylation sites had little effect. Both types of mutations formed nonidet p-40 (NP-40) insoluble aggregates, but the aggregates only from CRD mutations could be partially rescued by a chemical chaperone, 4-phenylbutyrate acid (4-PBA). The majority of CRD mutant SP-A was retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, both types of mutations reduced SP-A stability, with CRD mutant SP-A being more sensitive to chymotrypsin digestion. Both types of soluble mutant SP-A could be degraded by the proteasome pathway, while insoluble aggregates could be additionally degraded by the lysosomal pathway.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our data provide evidence that the differential glycosylation of SP-A may play distinct roles in SP-A secretion, aggregation and degradation which may contribute to familial pulmonary fibrosis caused by SP-A2 mutations.

An optics-based variable-temperature assay system for characterizing thermodynamics of biomolecular reactions on solid support

A biological state is equilibrium of multiple concurrent biomolecular reactions. The relative importance of these reactions depends on physiological temperature typically between 10 °C and 50 °C. Experimentally the temperature dependence of binding reaction constants reveals thermodynamics and thus details of these biomolecular processes. We developed a variable-temperature opto-fluidic system for real-time measurement of multiple (400-10,000) biomolecular binding reactions on solid supports from 10 °C to 60 °C within ±0.1 °C. We illustrate the performance of this system with investigation of binding reactions of plant lectins (carbohydrate-binding proteins) with 24 synthetic glycans (i.e., carbohydrates). We found that the lectin-glycan reactions in general can be enthalpy-driven, entropy-driven, or both, and water molecules play critical roles in the thermodynamics of these reactions.

Study of carbohydrate-protein interactions using glyco-QDs with different fluorescence emission wavelengths

QDs with different fluorescence emission wavelengths were coated with galactose, glucose, and lactose respectively. The formulas of glyco-QDs were determined by NMR and ICP-OES, and the interactions between glyco-QDs and PNA lectin were investigated by SPR. The results showed that multivalent presentation achieved by using QDs as the scaffold is an effective way to enhance the carbohydrate-protein interactions. The K(D) for the interaction of PNA with multivalent glyco-QDs is over 3 × 10(6)-fold lower than those with the same free sugars. The specific recognition for the sugar coated on the QDs by lectin is maintained. These sugar-coated QDs could be used as a fluorescent probe to label and identify glycoproteins.

Histochemical identification of sialylated glycans in Xenopus laevis testis

Carbohydrate chains of glycoprotein and glycosphingolipids are highly diverse molecules involved in many cell functions, including cell recognition, adhesion and signalling. Sialylated glycans are of special interest because the terminal position of sialic acid (NeuAc) in glycans linked by different ways to subterminal monosaccharides has been shown to be involved in several biological processes, as occurs with gangliosides, which have been reported as being essential in spermatogenesis in mammals. Some glycan-binding proteins, the lectins, which specifically recognize glycan sequences, have been extensively used to characterize tissue and cell carbohydrates by means of cytochemical techniques. The aim of the present work was to determine the presence of NeuAc by means of histochemical techniques in the testis of Xenopus laevis, an animal model widely used in cell and molecular biology research. However, considering that some NeuAc-binding lectins are capable of binding to N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), other GlcNAc-binding lectins were also assayed. The results showed that NeuAc is mainly expressed in the interstitium, and only a weak labelling in the male germ cells was observed. Most NeuAc was located in O-linked oligosaccharides, but some masked NeuAc in N-glycans were identified in primary and secondary spermatogonia and spermatocytes. By contrast, GlcNAc was widely expressed in all germ cell types. Deglycosylative pre-treatments suggest that both N- and O-glycans and/or glycolipids could be responsible for this labelling. In addition, GlcNAc in O-linked oligosaccharides has been identified in spermatogonial cells. The acrosome of spermatids was always negative. Variations of glycan expression have been found in different cell types, suggesting that glycosylation is modified during spermatogenetic development.

α1,3-galactosyltransferase deficiency in germ-free miniature pigs increases N-glycolylneuraminic acids as the xenoantigenic determinant in pig-human xenotransplantation

In this study, we examined whether Hanganutziu-Deicher (H-D) antigens are important as an immunogenic non-α1,3-galactose (Gal) epitope in pigs with a disrupted α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene. The targeting efficiency of the AO blood genotype was achieved (2.2%) in pig fibroblast cells. A total of 1800 somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos were transferred to 10 recipients. One recipient developed to term and naturally delivered two piglets. The α1,3-galactosyltransferase activity in lung, liver, spleen, and testis of heterozygote α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene knockout (GalT-KO) pigs was significantly decreased, whereas brain and heart showed very low decreasing levels of α1,3-galactosyltransferase activity when compared to those of control. Enzyme-linked lectinosorbent assay showed that the heterozygote GalT-KO pig had more sialylα2,6- and sialylα2,3-linked glycan than the control. Furthermore, the heart, liver, and kidney of the heterozygote GalT-KO pig had a higher N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) content than the control, whereas the lung of the heterozygote GalT-KO pig had Neu5Gc content similar to the control. Collectively, the data strongly indicated that Neu5Gc is a more critical xenoantigen to overcoming the next acute immune rejection in pig to human xenotransplantation.

Alpha 1,3-galactosyltransferase deficiency in pigs increases sialyltransferase activities that potentially raise non-gal xenoantigenicity

We examined whether deficiency of the GGTA1 gene in pigs altered the expression of several glycosyltransferase genes. Real-time RT-PCR and glycosyltransferase activity showed that 2 sialyltransferases [α2,3-sialyltransferase (α2,3ST) and α2,6-sialyltransferase (α2,6ST)] in the heterozygote GalT KO liver have higher expression levels and activities compared to controls. Enzyme-linked lectin assays indicated that there were also more sialic acid-containing glycoconjugate epitopes in GalT KO livers than in controls. The elevated level of sialic-acid-containing glycoconjugate epitopes was due to the low level of α-Gal in heterozygote GalT KO livers. Furthermore, proteomics analysis showed that heterozygote GalT KO pigs had a higher expression of NAD⁺-isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), which is related to the CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) enzyme reaction. These findings suggest the deficiency of GGTA1 gene in pigs results in increased production of N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) due to an increase of α2,6-sialyltransferase and a CMAH cofactor, NAD⁺-IDH. This indicates that Neu5Gc may be a critical xenoantigen. The deletion of the CMAH gene in the GalT KO background is expected to further prolong xenograft survival.

Crystal structure of an enzymatically inactive trans-sialidase-like lectin from Trypanosoma cruzi: the carbohydrate binding mechanism involves residual sialidase activity

Trans-sialidases are surface-located proteins in Trypanosoma cruzi that participate in key parasite-host interactions and parasite virulence. These proteins are encoded by a large multigenic family, with tandem-repeated and individual genes dispersed throughout the genome. While a large number of genes encode for catalytically active enzyme isoforms, many others display mutations that involve catalytic residues. The latter ultimately code for catalytically inactive proteins with very high similarity to their active paralogs. These inactive members have been shown to be lectins, able to bind sialic acid and galactose in vitro, although their cellular functions are yet to be fully established. We now report structural and biochemical evidence extending the current molecular understanding of these lectins. We have solved the crystal structure of one such catalytically inactive trans-sialidase-like protein, after soaking with a specific carbohydrate ligand, sialyl-α2,3-lactose. Instead of the expected trisaccharide, the binding pocket was observed occupied by α-lactose, strongly suggesting that the protein retains residual hydrolytic activity. This hypothesis was validated by enzyme kinetics assays, in comparison to fully active wild-type trans-sialidase. Surface plasmon resonance also confirmed that these trans-sialidase-like lectins are not only able to bind small oligosaccharides, but also sialylated glycoproteins, which is relevant in the physiologic scenario of parasite infection. Inactive trans-sialidase proteins appear thus to be β-methyl-galactosyl-specific lectins, evolved within an exo-sialidase scaffold, thus explaining why their lectin activity is triggered by the presence of terminal sialic acid.

Glycomic analysis: an array of technologies

Carbohydrates encode biological information necessary for cellular function. The structural diversity and complexity of these sugar residues have necessitated the creation of novel methodologies for their study. This review highlights recent technological advancements that are starting to unravel the intricate web of carbohydrate biology. New methods for the analysis of both glycoconjugates and glycan structures are discussed. With the use of these innovative tools, the field of glycobiology is poised to take center-stage in the postgenomic era of modern biology and medicine.

Intracellular lectins involved in folding and transport in the endoplasmic reticulum

Glycosylation is a highly sophisticated post-translational modification of proteins that occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus. The vital biological functions served by protein glycosylation can be separated into two types. The first is the role of glycosylation in the extracellular environment, where a variety of sugar chains participate in protein secretion and stability, cell-cell adhesion and signaling, innate immunity, embryogenesis, and morphogenesis. Another role is in quality control of glycoproteins in the ER, a topic that has received recent attention. Quality control of glycoproteins is categorized into three kinds of reactions; the first is folding of newly synthesized glycoproteins, the second is ER-associated degradation of terminally misfolded or unassembled glycoproteins, and the last is sorting and transport of glycoproteins between organelles. In all three processes, N-glycans on the glycoproteins are used as tags to initiate the reactions. The process of glycosylation is conserved in yeast, plants, invertebrates and vertebrates, including mammals. Here, I focus on the intracellular lectins that participate in these processes and discuss the role of glycosylation based on the structural differences of N-glycans.

Measurement of monovalent and polyvalent carbohydrate-lectin binding by back-scattering interferometry

Carbohydrate-protein binding is important to many areas of biochemistry. Here, backscattering interferometry (BSI) has been shown to be a convenient and sensitive method for obtaining quantitative information about the strengths and selectivities of such interactions. The surfaces of glass microfluidic channels were covalently modified with extravidin, to which biotinylated lectins were subsequently attached by incubation and washing. The binding of unmodified carbohydrates to the resulting avidin-immobilized lectins was monitored by BSI. Dose-response curves that were generated within several minutes and were highly reproducible in multiple wash/measure cycles provided adsorption coefficients that showed mannose to bind to concanavalin A (conA) with 3.7 times greater affinity than glucose consistent with literature values. Galactose was observed to bind selectively and with similar affinity to the lectin BS-1. The avidities of polyvalent sugar-coated virus particles for immobilized conA were much higher than monovalent glycans, with increases of 60-200 fold per glycan when arrayed on the exterior surface of cowpea mosaic virus or bacteriophage Qbeta. Sugar-functionalized PAMAM dendrimers showed size-dependent adsorption, which was consistent with the expected density of lectins on the surface. The sensitivity of BSI matches or exceeds that of surface plasmon resonance and quartz crystal microbalance techniques, and is sensitive to the number of binding events, rather than changes in mass. The operational simplicity and generality of BSI, along with the near-native conditions under which the target binding proteins are immobilized, make BSI an attractive method for the quantitative characterization of the binding functions of lectins and other proteins.

Specificity analysis of lectins and antibodies using remodeled glycoproteins

Due to their ability to bind specifically to certain carbohydrate sequences, lectins are a frequently used tool in cytology, histology, and glycan analysis but also offer new options for drug targeting and drug delivery systems. For these and other potential applications, it is necessary to be certain as to the carbohydrate structures interacting with the lectin. Therefore, we used glycoproteins remodeled with glycosyltransferases and glycosidases for testing specificities of lectins from Aleuria aurantia (AAL), Erythrina cristagalli (ECL), Griffonia simplicifolia (GSL I-B(4)), Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA), Lens culinaris (LCA), Lotus tetragonolobus (LTA), peanut (Arachis hypogaeae) (PNA), Ricinus communis (RCA I), Sambucus nigra (SNA), Vicia villosa (VVA), and wheat germ (Triticum vulgaris) (WGA) as well as reactivities of anti-carbohydrate antibodies (anti-bee venom, anti-horseradish peroxidase [anti-HRP], and anti-Lewis(x)). After enzymatic remodeling, the resulting neoglycoforms display defined carbohydrate sequences and can be used, when spotted on nitrocellulose or in enzyme-linked lectinosorbent assays, to identify the sugar moieties bound by the lectins. Transferrin with its two biantennary complex N-glycans was used as scaffold for gaining diverse N-glycosidic structures, whereas fetuin was modified using glycosidases to test the specificities of lectins toward both N- and O-glycans. In addition, alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein and Schistosoma mansoni egg extract were chosen as controls for lectin interactions with fucosylated glycans (Lewis(x) and core alpha1,3-fucose). Our data complement and expand the existing knowledge about the binding specificity of a range of commercially available lectins.

Monitoring of influenza virus hemagglutinin in process samples using weak affinity ligands and surface plasmon resonance

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was used to screen the interaction between a variety of affinity ligands and hemagglutinin (HA) from human influenza virus, with the aim of identifying low affinity ligands useful for the development of a rapid bioanalytical sensor. Three sialic acid-based structures and four lectins were evaluated as sensor ligands. The sialic acid-based ligands included a natural sialic acid-containing glycoprotein, human alpha1-acid glycoprotein (alpha1-AGP), and two synthetic 6'-sialyllactose-conjugates, with varying degree of substitution. The interaction of HA with the four lectin-based ligands, concanavalin A (Con A), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), Maackia amurensis lectin (MAL), and Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA), showed a wide variation of affinity strengths. Affinity and kinetics data were estimated. Strong affinities were observed for Con A, WGA, alpha1-AGP, and a 6'-sialyllactose-conjugate with a high substitution degree, and low affinities were observed for MAL and a 6'-sialyllactose-conjugate with low substitution. The main objective, to identify a low affinity ligand which could be used for on-line monitoring and product quantification, was met by a 6'-sialyllactose-ovalbumin conjugate that had 0.6 mol ligand per mol carrier protein. The apparent affinity of this ligand was estimated to be 1.5+/-0.03 microM (K(D)) on the SPR surface. Vaccine process samples containing HA were analyzed in the range 10-100 microg HA mL(-1) and correlated with single-radial immunodiffusion. The coefficient of variation on the same chip was between 0.010 and 0.091.

Surface plasmon resonance study of protein-carbohydrate interactions using biotinylated sialosides

Lectins are carbohydrate binding proteins found in plants, animals, and microorganisms. They serve as important models for understanding protein-carbohydrate interactions at the molecular level. We report here the fabrication of a novel sensing interface of biotinylated sialosides to probe lectin-carbohydrate interactions using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR). The attachment of carbohydrates to the surface using biotin-NeutrAvidin interactions and the implementation of an inert hydrophilic hexaethylene glycol spacer (HEG) between the biotin and the carbohydrate result in a well-defined interface, enabling desired orientational flexibility and enhanced access of binding partners. The specificity and sensitivity of lectin binding were characterized using Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA) and other lectins including Maackia amurensis lectin (MAL), concanavalin A (Con A), and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). The results indicate that alpha2,6-linked sialosides exhibit high binding affinity to SNA, while alteration in sialyl linkage and terminal sialic acid structure compromises the affinity by a varied degree. Quantitative analysis yields an equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) of 777 +/- 93 nM for SNA binding to Neu5Ac alpha2,6-LHEB. Transient SPR kinetics confirms the K D value from the equilibrium binding studies. A linear relationship was obtained in the 10-100 microg/mL range with limit of detection of approximately 50 nM. Weak interactions with MAL, Con A, and WGA were also quantified. The control experiment with bovine serum albumin indicates that nonspecific interaction on this surface is insignificant over the concentration range studied. Multiple experiments can be performed on the same substrate using a glycine stripping buffer, which selectively regenerates the surface without damaging the sialoside or the biotin-NeutrAvidin interface. This surface design retains a high degree of native affinity for the carbohydrate motifs, allowing distinction of sialyl linkages and investigation pertaining to the effect of functional group on binding efficiency. It could be easily modified to identify and quantify binding patterns of any low-affinity biologically relevant systems, opening new avenues for probing carbohydrate-protein interactions in real time.

Detection of carbohydrate-binding proteins by oligosaccharide-modified polypyrrole interfaces using electrochemical surface plasmon resonance

This paper reports on the use of electrochemical surface plasmon resonance (E-SPR) for the detection of carbohydrate-binding proteins. The generation of an SPR sensor specific to lectins Arachis hypogaea (PNA) and Maackia amurensis (MAA) is based on the electrochemical polymerization of oligosaccharide derivatives functionalized by pyrrole groups. The resulting thin conducting polymer films were characterized using E-SPR and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The specific binding of PNA to polypyrrole-lactosyl and of MAA to polypyrrole-3'-sialyllactosyl films was investigated using SPR. The detection limit was 41 nM for PNA and 83 nM for MAA. Through Scatchard analysis and linear transformation of the SPR sensorgram data, association (k(ass)) and dissociation rate constants (k(diss)) could be determined.

Highly specific affinities of short peptides against synthetic polymers

We investigated polymer-binding 7-mer peptides that recognize differences in the polymer stereoregularity of all-purpose poly(methyl methacrylate)s (PMMAs) with simple chemical structures. Quantitative surface plasmon resonance measurements detected association/dissociation processes of the peptides against PMMA film surfaces, followed by an estimation of kinetic parameters such as association/dissociation rate constants and affinity constants. Greater association and smaller dissociation constants of the peptides were observed against a target isotactic PMMA than the structurally similar reference syndiotactic PMMA, followed by greater affinity constants against the target. A c02 peptide composed of the Glu-Leu-Trp-Arg-Pro-Thr-Arg sequence showed the greatest affinity constant (2.8x10(5) M(-1)) for the target, which was 41-fold greater than that for the reference, thus demonstrating extremely high peptide specificities. The substitution of each amino acid of the c02 peptide to Ala (Ala scanning) clearly revealed the essential amino acids for the affinity constants; the essential order was Pro5>>Thr6>Arg7>Glu1>Arg4. In fact, the shorter 4-mer peptide composed of the C-terminal Arg-Pro-Thr-Arg sequence of the c02 peptide still demonstrated strong target specificity, although the N-terminal 4-mer peptide Glu-Leu-Trp-Arg completely lost its specificity. The possible conformations modeled with Molecular Mechanics supported the significance of the Arg-Pro-Thr-Arg sequence. The thermodynamic parameters of the c02 peptide suggested an induced fit mechanism for the specific affinity. The present affinity analyses of polymer-recognizing peptides revealed significant and general information that was essential for potential applications in peptidyl nanomaterials.

The role of protein glycosylation in allergy

The asparagine-linked carbohydrate moieties of plant and insect glycoproteins are the most abundant environmental immune determinants. They are the structural basis of what is known as cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCDs). Despite some structural variation, the two main motifs are the xylose and the core-3-linked fucose, which form the essential part of two independent epitopes. Plants contain both epitopes, insect glycoproteins only fucose. These epitopes and other fucosylated determinants are also found in helminth parasites where they exert remarkable immunomodulatory effects. About 20% or more of allergic patients generate specific anti-glycan IgE, which is often accompanied by IgG. Even though antibody-binding glycoproteins are widespread in pollens, foods and insect venoms, CCDs do not appear to cause clinical symptoms in most, if not all patients. When IgE binding is solely due to CCDs, a glycoprotein allergen thus can be rated as clinical irrelevant allergen. Low binding affinity between IgE and plant N-glycans now drops out as a plausible explanation for the benign nature of CCDs. This rather may result from blocking antibodies induced by an incidental 'immune therapy' ('glyco-specific immune therapy') exerted by everyday contact with plant materials, e.g. fruits or vegetables. The need to detect and suppress anti-CCD IgE without interference from peptide epitopes can be best met by artificial glycoprotein allergens. Hydroxyproline-linked arabinose (single beta-arabinofuranosyl residues) has been identified as a new IgE-binding carbohydrate epitope in the major mugwort allergen. However, currently the occurrence of this O-glycan determinant appears to be rather restricted.

Evaluation of α-d-mannopyranoside glycolipid micelles–lectin interactions by surface plasmon resonance method

It is established that achieving higher binding affinities in carbohydrate-protein interactions requires multivalent presentations of the sugar ligands at the receptor binding site. Several inhibition, calorimetric, mass balance, and other studies have reiterated the beneficial effects of molecular level clustering of the sugar ligands for tight binding to the receptors. We have undertaken an effort to study the multivalent effects involving larger assemblies, represented by micelles, and their lectin interactions. The micelles were constituted with monomer bearing one- or two-sugar moieties at the monomolecular level and with varying the distances between the sugar moieties. Micellar aggregation studies and dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies afforded details of the aggregation numbers and the hydrodynamic diameters of various glycolipid (GL) micelles. The GL micelles were used as analytes of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments on a lectin concanavalin A (Con A)-immobilized surface. SPR studies of the micelle-lectin interactions demonstrate that the ligand-receptor binding can be fit into the bivalent analyte model of interaction. Furthermore, micelles formed from two-sugar containing GLs are able to elicit favorable kinetic association rate constants in comparison to the micelles constituted with one-sugar containing GLs. The kinetic rate constants across the micelles and the effect of the sugar valencies in the GLs are discussed.

α2,3/α2,6-Sialylation of N-glycans: non-synonymous signals with marked developmental regulation in bovine reproductive tracts

The glycan part endows cellular glycoconjugates with significant potential for biological recognition. N-Glycan branches often end with alpha2,3/alpha2,6-sialylation, posing the question whether and how placement of the sialic acid at 3 - or 6 -acceptor positions of galactose has cell biological relevance. As attractive model to study developmental regulation we monitored the expression of alpha2,3/alpha2,6-sialylated determinants in fetal and adult bovine testes and ovaries by lectin histochemistry. Distinct expression patterns were detected in both organ types. Oocyte staining, as a prominent example, was restricted to the presence of alpha2,6-sialylated glycans. Treatment with sialidase abolished binding and thus excluded sulfate esters as lectin targets. We added computer simulations to rationalize the observed evidence for non-random expression of the two closely related sialylgalactose isomers. Extensive molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics calculations reveal that the seemingly minor shift of the glycosidic bond from the alpha2,3 position to the alpha2,6 configuration causes significant shape and flexibility changes. They give each disaccharide its own characteristic meaning as signal in the sugar code.