Development of screening methods for detection of carbohydrate-binding proteins by use of soluble glycosylated polyacrylamide-based copolymers

Xylella fastidiosa afimbrial adhesins mediate cell transmission to plants by leafhopper vectors

The interactions between the economically important plant-pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa and its leafhopper vectors are poorly characterized. We used different approaches to determine how X. fastidiosa cells interact with the cuticular surface of the foreguts of vectors. We demonstrate that X. fastidiosa binds to different polysaccharides with various affinities and that these interactions are mediated by cell surface carbohydrate-binding proteins. In addition, competition assays showed that N-acetylglucosamine inhibits bacterial adhesion to vector foregut extracts and intact wings, demonstrating that attachment to leafhopper surfaces is affected in the presence of specific polysaccharides. In vitro experiments with several X. fastidiosa knockout mutants indicated that hemagglutinin-like proteins are associated with cell adhesion to polysaccharides. These results were confirmed with biological experiments in which hemagglutinin-like protein mutants were transmitted to plants by vectors at lower rates than that of the wild type. Furthermore, although these mutants were defective in adhesion to the cuticle of vectors, their growth rate once attached to leafhoppers was similar to that of the wild type, suggesting that these proteins are important for initial adhesion of X. fastidiosa to leafhoppers. We propose that X. fastidiosa colonization of leafhopper vectors is a complex, stepwise process similar to the formation of biofilms on surfaces.

Study of interaction of mannan-BSA neoglycoconjugates with Concanavalin A

Neoglycoconjugates prepared by synthesis of oxidized mannans from Saccharomyces cerevisiae with bovine serum albumin were studied for interaction with Concanavalin A. The mannan-bovine serum albumin neoglycoproteins, different in degree of mannan oxidation used for synthesis and its content in conjugates were prepared. The interaction of these glycoconjugates with Concanavalin A by using precipitation method was investigated. The conjugates prepared at high weight ratio mannan: protein (4:1) involved 47-65% of saccharides and formed by precipitation with Concanavalin A aggregates with low content of protein. The obtained results showed that conjugates with lower content of mannan (up to 30%) are more efficacious for their aggregation with Concanavalin A than the conjugates with high content of mannan.

Glycoaffinity chromatography and biological recognition

The potential of bioaffinity chromatography as a tool for study of biological recognition mechanisms is gaining increasing recognition. Biochromatographic methods allow the separation of proteins according to both the structure of their polypeptidic chain and their post-translational modifications. Among the various post-translational modifications which proteins undergo, glycosylation has conducted to the development of original methods (glycotechnologies). This review discusses the applications of glycotechnologies in bioaffinity chromatography, and particularly the use of biochromatography to elucidate mechanisms involved in glycobiology.

Water-soluble poly(acrylamide-allylamine) derivatives of saccharides for protein-saccharide binding studies

Water-soluble poly(acrylamide-allylamine) copolymers containing covalently bound amino groups, prepared by copolymerization of acrylamide and allylamine, can be used as general carriers for coupling of different types of saccharides or saccharide derivatives. The water-soluble macromolecular carbohydrate derivatives can be easily labelled and used in various solid-phase techniques to study protein-saccharide interaction. Two types of coupling reaction were used to prepare polyacrylamide derivatives of saccharides: reductive amination was applied to couple the reducing disaccharides and a carbodiimide reaction was used to couple heparin via its carboxyl groups to the amino groups of the poly(acrylamide-allylamine) derivative. Peroxidase labelled or biotinylated derivatives were shown to be useful in studies on the binding properties of lectins and proteins from boar seminal plasma.

Oligoclonal beta-galactoside-binding immunoglobulins antigenically related to 14 kDa lectin in human serum and cerebrospinal fluid: purification and characterization

1. An antiserum raised against a 14 kDa beta-galactoside specific lectin from human brain (HBL14) was used to probe blots from samples of serum and cerebrospinal fluid. The only HBL14-immunoreactive material detected was heavy and light chains of a beta-galactoside-binding IgG fraction (lectin-like IgG). 2. Lectin-like IgG, as well as IgG Fab fragments, compete with HBL14 for binding either to anti-HBL14 antibody or to a lactosyl polyacrylamide-based copolymer. 3. Purification of lectin-like IgG was obtained by affinity chromatography on immobilized rabbit anti-lectin immunoglobulins. The carbohydrate-binding specificity of the purified molecules was restricted to beta-Gal-containing structures and close to the HBL14 one.

Study of lectin-ganglioside interactions by high-performance liquid affinity chromatography

A high-performance affinity column containing immobilized modified GM1 (lyso-GM1) was used to study the binding of an endogenous human brain lectin (HBL) in comparison with other carbohydrate-binding proteins. The proteins are previously converted into biotinylated derivatives. Detection of biotinylated proteins in the eluates by a microtitre plate assay ensures good sensitivity. The maximum binding capacity of the adsorbent for HBL is obtained in Tris buffer supplemented with beta-mercaptoethanol. The binding is inhibitable by specific sugar. It is concluded that the use of immobilized glycolipids in analytical high-performance liquid affinity chromatographic methods may serve as models in the study of interactions between gangliosides and carbohydrate-binding proteins.