Fabrication of magnetic dual-hydrophilic metal organic framework for highly efficient glycopeptide enrichment

Amide and Multihydroxyl Complementary Tailored Metal-Organic Framework with Enhanced Glycan Affinity for Efficient Glycoproteomic Analysis

Protein glycosylation is ubiquitous and crucial for regulating biological processes in organisms. Given the heterogeneity and low abundance of glycoproteins, efficient and specific enrichment procedures are required for the mass spectrometry analysis of glycopeptides. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) has emerged as an effective strategy for glycopeptide enrichment. However, the relatively weak hydrophilic affinity restricts the achievement of a satisfactory enrichment performance. Here, we presented a rational design of an amide and multihydroxyl complementary tailored metal-organic framework, denoted as U6N/Pv@Glc, which exhibited ultrahydrophilicity and enhanced glycan affinity. Our results demonstrated a significant increase in glycopeptide coverage after enrichment, accompanied by extremely low detection limits (0.05 fmol μL-1) and high selectivity (IgG/BSA, 1:4000) as evaluated using trypsin-digested standard glycoproteins. A total of 379 glycopeptides and 247 intact glycopeptides (containing a total of 1577 site-specific N-glycans) were identified and characterized within human serum samples from individuals with type 2 diabetes in-depth. Additionally, we extended the application of this material to capture undigested glycoproteins, demonstrating potential compatibility with top-down MS analysis. These results highlight the promising potential of this novel material for comprehensive glycoproteomic analysis of every potential aspect.

Water-stable hydrophilic metal organic framework composite for the recognition of N-glycopeptides during diabetes progression by mass spectrometry

A hydrophilic Al-MOFs composite was prepared using cheap and available reagents in water via a suitable large-scale production, an economical and environment-friendly method for capturing N-glycopeptides. The prepared Al-MOFs composite with high hydrolytically stable and hydrophilic 1D channels exhibits an ultralow detection limit (0.5 fmol/μL), and excellent reusability (at least 10 cycles) in the capture of N-glycopeptides from standard bio-samples. Interestingly, the Al-MOFs composite also shows remarkable performance in practical applications, where 300 N-glycopeptides ascribed to 124 glycoproteins were identified in 1 µL human serum and were successfully applied in profiling the differences of N-glycopeptides during diabetes progression. Moreover, 12 specific glycoproteins used as biomarkers to accurately distinguish the progression of diabetes are identified. The present work provides a potential commercial method for large-scale glycoproteomics research in complex clinical samples while offering new guidance for the precise diagnosis of diabetes progression.

Surface functionalization modification of ultra-hydrophilic magnetic spheres with mesoporous silica for specific identification of glycopeptides in serum exosomes

Protein glycosylation of human serum exosomes can reveal significant physiological information, and the development of large-scale identification strategies is crucial for the in-depth investigation of the serum exosome glycoproteome. In this study, using surface functionalization techniques, an ultra-hydrophilic mesoporous silica magnetic nanosphere (denoted as Fe₃O₄-CG@mSiO₂) was synthesized for the quick and accurate detection of glycopeptides from HRP digests. The Fe₃O₄-CG@mSiO₂ nanospheres demonstrated outstanding enrichment capability, high sensitivity (5 amol/μL), good size exclusion effect (HRP digests/BSA proteins, 1:10,000), stable reusability (at least 10 times), and an excellent recovery rate (108.6 ± 5.5%). Additionally, after enrichment by Fe₃O₄-CG@mSiO₂, 156 glycopeptides assigned to 64 proteins derived from human serum exosomes were successfully identified, which demonstrates that the nanospheres have great potential for the research of the large-scale serum exosome glycoproteome.

Recent trends in glycoproteomics by characterization of intact glycopeptides

This trends article provides an overview of the state of the art in the analysis of intact glycopeptides by proteomics technologies based on LC-MS analysis. A brief description of the main techniques used at the different steps of the analytical workflow is provided, giving special attention to the most recent developments. The topics discussed include the need for dedicated sample preparation for intact glycopeptide purification from complex biological matrices. This section covers the common approaches with a special description of new materials and innovative reversible chemical derivatization strategies, specifically devised for intact glycopeptide analysis or dual enrichment of glycosylation and other post-translational modifications. The approaches are described for the characterization of intact glycopeptide structures by LC-MS and data analysis by bioinformatics for spectra annotation. The last section covers the open challenges in the field of intact glycopeptide analysis. These challenges include the need of a detailed description of the glycopeptide isomerism, the issues with quantitative analysis, and the lack of analytical methods for the large-scale characterization of glycosylation types that remain poorly characterized, such as C-mannosylation and tyrosine O-glycosylation. This bird's-eye view article provides both a state of the art in the field of intact glycopeptide analysis and open challenges to prompt future research on the topic.

Advances in hydrophilic metal-organic frameworks for N-linked glycopeptide enrichment

The comprehensive profiling of glycoproteins is of great significance for the timely clinical diagnosis and therapy. However, inherent obstacles hamper their direct analysis from biological samples, and specific enrichment prior to analysis is indispensable. Among the various approaches for glycopeptide enrichment, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) has attracted special focus, especially for the development of novel hydrophilic materials, which is the key of HILIC. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a type of porous materials constructed from the self-assembly of metal and organic linkers. Advantages such as high surface area, flexible pore size, and easy modification render hydrophilic MOFs as ideal candidates for HILIC, which has inspired many studies over the past years. In this review, advances in hydrophilic MOFs for N-linked glycopeptide enrichment are summarized. According to the synthesis strategies, those materials are categorized into three classes, namely pristine MOFs, MOFs with chemical modifications, and MOFs-derived composite. In each categorization, the preparation and the function of different moieties are covered, as well as the enrichment performances of sensitivity, selectivity, and practical application. Finally, a summary and future perspective on the applications of hydrophilic MOFs for N-linked glycopeptide enrichment are briefly discussed. This review is expected to raise awareness of the properties of hydrophilic MOFs and offer some valuable information to further research in glycoproteomics.

A novel hydrophilic MOFs-303-functionalized magnetic probe for the highly efficient analysis of N-linked glycopeptides

The effective analysis of glycoproteomics in clinical complex samples is of vital importance for the diagnosis and therapy of diseases. In this study, a hydrophilic MOFs-303-functionalized magnetic probe (GO@Fe₃O₄@MOF-303) is designed and fabricated to profile N-linked glycopeptides. Owing to its strong magnetic property, large surface area (845 m² g^-1), excellent hydrophilicity and suitable porous structure, the GO@Fe₃O₄@MOF-303 probe exhibits an ultralow detection limit (0.1 fmol μL^-1), perfect size-exclusion effect (HRP digests/BSA protein/HRP protein, 1 : 1000 : 1000, w/w/w), a high binding capacity (200 mg g^-1) and excellent reusability in the capture of standard N-linked glycopeptides. More excitingly, the GO@Fe₃O₄@MOF-303 probe also shows remarkable performance in practical applications, where 274 N-linked glycopeptides from 101 glycoproteins were identified in total for healthy controls, while a total of 265 N-linked glycopeptides from 102 glycoproteins were identified in serum (1 μL) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, we discovered 4 up-regulated and 19 down-regulated serum glycoproteins in HCC patients by the hierarchical clustering heatmap. All results demonstrated that the reusable GO@Fe₃O₄@MOF-303 probe has great potential in profiling different N-linked glycopeptides in complex clinical samples. This study not only developed a novel probe for the highly effective capture of N-linked glycopeptides but also contributed to further understanding the mechanism of HCC and provides guidance for the development of novel clinical diagnostic methods.

A novel hydrophilic hydrogel with a 3D network structure for the highly efficient enrichment of N-glycopeptides

A novel super-hydrophilic hydrogel (ZIF-8/SAP) was first proposed and facilely fabricated to capture N-glycopeptides from complex biological samples with excellent selectivity and sensitivity.