Hydrazinolysis and nitrous acid deamination of the carbohydrate moiety of alpha1-acid glycoprotein

A free nitrous acid (FNA)-based technology for reducing sludge production

Sludge treatment and disposal is one of the major challenges for biological wastewater treatment plants and can represent up to 60% of their total operating costs. This study presents a novel strategy based on free nitrous acid (FNA or HNO2) treatment to achieve sludge reduction. Two sequencing batch reactors treating synthetic domestic wastewater were used, with one serving as an experimental reactor and the other as a control. In the experimental system, 50% of the excess sludge was exposed to FNA at 2.0 mg N/L for 24-42 h in an FNA treatment unit and then returned to the parent reactor. The sludge wastage flow from the experimental reactor was adjusted to obtain a similar mixed liquor suspended solids concentration to that in the control reactor, which was operated at a sludge retention time of 15 days. It was found that sludge production in the experimental system was 28% lower in comparison to the control. The addition of the FNA-treated sludge did not negatively affect the treatment performance and sludge properties of the experimental reactor, namely the organic carbon and nitrogen removal, nitrous oxide (N2O) emission and sludge settleability. Endogenous denitrification batch tests indicate that FNA-treated sludge is available as a carbon source for denitrification.

Membrane-induced conformational change of alpha1-acid glycoprotein characterized by vacuum-ultraviolet circular dichroism spectroscopy

The tertiary structure of alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) remains unresolved despite its novel function because AGP is a hard target in X-ray and NMR analyses. To elucidate the membrane-induced conformational change of AGP, the vacuum-ultraviolet circular dichroism (VUVCD) spectra of AGP and its constituent sugars were measured down to 160 nm in the presence or absence of phosphoglyceride liposome using a synchrotron-radiation VUVCD spectrophotometer. The secondary-structure contents and numbers of segments of AGP were estimated from the VUVCD spectra of the protein moiety obtained by subtracting the contributions of the glycan moiety. Further, the positions of secondary structures on the amino acid sequence were predicted by combining the VUVCD data with a neural network algorithm. These comprehensive secondary-structure analyses revealed that AGP consists of 11.4% alpha-helices (3 segments) and 39.9% beta-strands (12 segments) in the absence of liposome (pH 4.5), which are close to the proportions in the secondary structure of native AGP (pH 7.4) predicted by homology modeling, and that it consists of 47.5% alpha-helices (7 segments) and 2.7% beta-strands (2 segments) in the presence of liposome (pH 4.5). Detailed characterization of these alpha-helices of AGP bound to liposome suggested that two alpha-helices (residues 15-27 and 161-175) in the N- and C-terminal regions strongly interact with liposome. Most of the progesterone-binding residues of AGP were involved in the sequences transferring from beta-strands to alpha-helices or unordered structures, which coincided with the large decrease in progesterone-binding capacity of liposome-bound AGP. These results provide the first sequence-level information on the membrane-binding mechanism and structure-function relationship of AGP.

A single-sample method for determination of carbohydrate and protein contents glycoprotein bands separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate- polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

A method is described for determination of carbohydrate and protein contents of glycoproteins separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and then electroblotted onto polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes. Blots were stained, and appropriate pieces of PVDF membranes were excised, destained, and subjected to sequential hydrolysis with 0.2 M trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) for 1 h at 80 degrees C, then with 2 M TFA for 4 h at 100 degrees C, and finally with 6 M HCl at 100 degrees C for 24 h to release sialic acids, neutral sugars with hexosamines, and amino acids, respectively. In some instances preliminary methanolysis was used. Carbohydrates including sialic acids were quantitated by high pH anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. Protein content of the bands was determined as amino acids by the fluorescamine or ninhydrin method. In the calculation of results proper adjustments were made for small amounts of fucose released by hydrolysis with 0.2 M TFA at 80 degrees C, and for partial degradation of protein during hydrolysis with 2 M TFA at 100 degrees C. Recoveries of amino acids from hydrolysates of glycoproteins that had been electroblotted onto PVDF membranes equaled those of carbohydrates. This was possible because of preliminary hydrolysis of glycoproteins with TFA, as well as washing of wet, instead of dried, PVDF membranes after hydrolysis with 6 M HCl. The two modifications increased yields of amino acids by about 30%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of molar and weight percentage composition of human transferrin, band 3 protein, glycophorin A, and alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein. In each case the results obtained for directly hydrolyzed and electrophoresed/electroblotted glycoproteins were practically identical. We also determined the glucosamine content of band 4.1 protein of erythrocytes.

Comparative study of asparagine-linked glycans of plasma T-kininogen in normal rats and during acute inflammation

Rat T-kininogen has been separated into two molecular variants by affinity chromatography on concanavalin A (ConA): a ConA-reactive (ConA+) and a ConA-non-reactive (ConA-) fraction, from which carbohydrate chains were quantitatively released by hydrazinolysis. On the basis of high-resolution 400 MHz 1H-n.m.r. spectroscopy of the re-N-acetylated hydrazinolysates, the carbohydrate structures of the two ConA molecular variants of rat T-kininogen were established. The ConA-non-reactive species contains a single type of carbohydrate chain with the following structure: [formula: see text] The ConA-reactive fraction contains the same structure and the following additional one: [formula: see text] The relative abundance of the two molecular forms is profoundly affected during inflammation (ratio ConA+/ConA-: 44% in normal and 95% in inflamed T-kininogen), but no structural modification of the carbohydrate chains was observed.

Structure determination of the glycans of human-serum alpha 1-antichymotrypsin using 1H-NMR spectroscopy and deglycosylation by N-glycanase

alpha 1-Antichymotrypsin purified from normal human serum was separated by affinity chromatography into th ree microheterogeneous forms on a concanavalin-A-Sepharose column: a pass-through (peak 1), a retarded (peak 2) and a bound form (peaks 3 + 4). For each form the asparagine-linked carbohydrate chains were liberated as oligosaccharides by hydrazinolysis, submitted to reduction with NaBH4 after re-N-acetylation and further separated by affinity chromatography on a concanavalin-A-Sepharose column. The complete primary structure of the glycans was determined by high-resolution 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The results indicated the presence of disialyl diantennary and of trisialyl triantennary type glycanic structures, the latter being accompanied by traces of disialylated triantennary oligosaccharide. The N-glycanase was used for the deglycosylation of the unfractionated alpha 1-antichymotrypsin; the successive removal of the N-linked complex-type oligosaccharide side chains of alpha 1-antichymotrypsin was studied in the presence of detergents. From these experiments it is concluded that alpha 1-antichymotrypsin carries four oligosaccharide side chains. Moreover our results show that the peak 1 contains four triantennary glycans, the peak 2 three triantennary and one diantennary glycans while the bound peaks 3 + 4 possess, on average, about one triantennary and three diantennary glycans per molecule. Since we showed that the peak 4 contains mostly diantennary glycans, it can be deduced that in peak 3 there are molecules carrying two triantennary and two diantennary glycans and others carrying one triantennary and three diantennary glycans.

Alterations in the carbohydrate moiety of alpha-1-acid glycoprotein purified from human cirrhotic ascitic fluid

The carbohydrate analysis of alpha 1-AGPc purified from cirrhotic ascitic fluid was performed by immunoaffinity chromatography. It showed a large increase in the fucosyl molar ratio and sugar content (47%). The molar ratio of the oligosaccharides which were released by hydrazinolysis and fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography confirms the marked increase in fucosyl residues in each fraction. A shift towards fractions with a high degree of branching was also observed. Moreover, the studies of sugar molar ratios and methylation of the tetrasialylated fraction indicated the simultaneous presence of sialyl and fucosyl residues on one of the outer branches.

Purification and separation of two soluble fucosyltransferase activities of small intestinal mucosa

1. Rat small intestinal soluble fucosyltransferase is purified more than 2000-fold using chromatographic procedures with DEAE-cellulose, CM-cellulose, GDP-Sepharose and Concanavalin A-Sepharose. 2. Chromatography on Sephadex G15 of the final enzymatic fraction clearly separates two activities: a first peak incorporates fucose on asialoserotransferrin and a second peak on asialofetuin. 3. The use of small saccharidic acceptors (phenylgalactose, lactose, lacto-N-fucopentaose I) and the analysis of fucosylated asialoglycoproteins indicate that the first activity corresponds to an alpha-(3/4)-fucosyltransferase and the second one to an alpha-(1-2)-fucosyltransferase. 4. Protein analysis by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of SDS for each enzyme shows two bands corresponding to a mol. wt of about 65,000 and 70,000. The two enzymes have the same sensitivity to the action of N-ethylmaleimide.

Separation of sialyl-oligosaccharides by high-performance liquid chromatography. Application to the analysis of mono-, di-, tri- and tetrasialyl-oligosaccharides obtained by hydrazinolysis of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein

High-performance liquid chromatography has been applied to the separation of isomers of mono-, di-, tri- and tetrasialylated oligosaccharides derived from alpha 1-acid glycoprotein by hydrazinolysis. The separation of the sialyl-oligosaccharides on the basis of their negative charges was carried out with quaternary amine-bonded silica. Within each class, the anionic oligosaccharides were fractionated on the basis of their net carbohydrate content on alkylamine-modified silica using a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of acetonitrile and potassium dihydrogen phosphate with 0.01% of 1,4-diaminobutane or 0.01% of tetraethylpentamine.

Preliminary investigation of the structure of the carbohydrate component of Vicia graminea lectin, a plant glycoprotein

Purified Vicia graminea lectin, isolated from seeds, was found to contain D-mannose, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose, L-fucose, D-galactose, and D-xylose in the molar ratios approximately 3.9:1.5:1.2:1.1:1.0. The oligosaccharides, obtained after hydrazinolysis of Vg-lectin, were N-reacetylated, reduced with sodium borohydride, and fractionated into two peaks. The first peak contained D-galactose, D-mannose, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose, and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucitol in the molar ratios 6:3:2:0.7. After h.p.l.c. fractionation into five oligosaccharides, the second peak contained D-mannose, D-xylose, L-fucose, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose, and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucitol. Methylation analysis suggested the following general structure for these oligosaccharides: (formula; see text).

Evidence for the glycoprotein nature of the crystalline cell wall surface layer of Bacillus stearothermophilus strain NRS2004/3a

The surface layer of Bacillus stearothermophilus strain NRS2004/3a was isolated and chemically characterized. The results of these initial studies lead to the conclusion that the cell surface protein is glycosylated.

Separation of sialyl-oligosaccharides by high-performance liquid chromatography. Application to analysis of carbohydrate units of acidic oligosaccharides obtained by hydrazinolysis of hen ovomucoid

Sialyl- oligossacharides derived from hen ovomucoid by hydrazinolysis have been separated by liquid chromatography on quaternary amine bonded silica and alkylamine modified silicas . By using a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of acetonitrile and potassium dihydrogen phosphate with 0.01% of 1,4- diaminobutane , effective resolution of high-molecular-weight monosialylated oligossacharides was achieved in less than 2 h.

Structure determination of the carbohydrate chains of rat alpha-fetoprotein

By affinity chromatography on concanavalin A (ConA) linked to Sepharose, S-carboxymethylated rat alpha-fetoprotein could be separated into two molecular variants: a ConA-reactive and a ConA-nonreactive fraction. The carbohydrate chains were quantitatively released from the protein by hydrazinolysis. Based on methylation analysis and high-resolution 1H-NMR spectroscopy of the re-N-acetylated hydrazinolysates, the carbohydrate structures of the two ConA-molecular variants of alpha-fetoprotein were established. The ConA-reactive species contains two N-glycosidic carbohydrate units per molecule, both having the following structure: (formula; see text) The ConA-nonreactive species possesses also two N-glycosidically linked oligosaccharide chains per molecule; each of these has the following structure: (formula; see text)

Carbohydrate structures of hen ovomucoid. A mass spectrometric analysis

The apparently homogenous N-glycosidically-linked glycans 1, 7, 11 and 14 released by hydrazinolysis from hen ovomucoid were analysed by fast atom bombardment and electron-impact mass spectrometry after reduction and permethylation. The spectra support the primary structures established independently [FEBS Letters (1983) 152, 145-152] using methylation analysis, partial acid hydrolysis and 500 MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy. In addition to the major constituents present in fractions 1, 7, 11 and 14, four minor components not detected by other methods could be characterized with the aid of the mass spectrometry data as: Man2GlcNAcGlcNAc-o1, GlcNAc4Man3GlcNAc-o1, GlcNAc6Man3GlcNAc-o1 and GalGlcNAc6-Man3GlcNAc-o1. Our results show that the physical techniques used provide valuable data on the structure of complex glycans. In addition they can be employed to ascertain the homogeneity of the compounds examined as well as to detect trace amounts of homologs that might not be noticed by other methods.

Primary structure of a novel N-glycosidic carbohydrate unit, derived from hen ovomucoid. A 500-MHz 1H-NMR study

The N-glycosidic carbohydrate chains of hen beta-ovomucoid were released from the protein by hydrazinolysis, and separated by HPLC. Primary structural analysis of 3 major fractions was conducted by applying 500-MHz 1H-NMR spectroscopy in combination with methylation analysis. One of the fractions investigated appeared to consist of an intersected penta-antennary structure extended with one Gal residue. The location of the latter in a certain branch could be established unambiguously by NMR. This structure is a novel member of the family of N-glycosidic carbohydrates of glycoproteins.

Substrate specificity of cerebral GDP-fucose: glycoprotein fucosyltransferase

Solubilized sheep brain fucosyltransferase was shown to transfer fucose from GDP-fucose onto glycoprotein and glycopeptide acceptors, such as asialofetuin, asialotransferrin, their glycopeptides and glycopeptides from ovalbumin, but not on to monosaccharides and disaccharides such as galactose, N-acetylglucosamine and lactose. Competition studies between asialofetuin and glycopeptide V from ovalbumin provided evidence that both substrates compete for a common enzyme active site. The position of the fucosyl linkage was then investigated. Endo-beta-N-glucosaminidase D digestion of fucosylated and acetylated glycopeptide V showed that fucose is not linked to asparagine-linked N-acetylglucosamine. Hydrazinolysis and nitrous acid deamination performed on asialofetuin and glycopeptide V proved that fucose is not linked to external galactose or N-acetylglucosamine either. Thus we assume that fucose is linked to the oligomannochitobiosyl core of the glycan, and probably to the second N-acetylglucosamine.

Uniformity of carbohydrate chains within molecular variants of rat alpha 1-fetoprotein with distinct affinity for concanavalin A

Three rat alpha 1-fetoprotein fractions were obtained by chromatography on concanavalin-A--Sepharose: one non-reactive, one weakly reactive and one reactive to concanavalin A. The non-reactive and reactive variants were found to vary in the structure of their carbohydrate chains while the conformation of the weakly reactive form may modulate the accessibility of these chains to the lectin. N-Glycosidically linked glycans from unfractionated alpha 1-fetoprotein were isolated and chemically characterized. Particular attention was paid to develop sensitive methods based upon hydrazinolysis, quantitative re-N-acetylation of glycans with [14C]acetic anhydride and thin-layer chromatography of labeled compounds. With the aid of these methods two main kinds of glycans (1a and 2a) were obtained and fractionated on concanavalin-A--Sepharose into non-reactive (1a) and reactive (2a) molecules. Moreover it was demonstrated that each alpha 1-fetoprotein variant contained either two glycans 1a or two glycans 2a, not randomly, but a pair of the identical carbohydrate chains at the two glycosylation sites.

Methylation analysis in glycoprotein chemistry. General procedure for quantification of the products of solvolysis of permethylated glycopeptides and glycoproteins

A technique for the gas chromatographic analysis of the products of solvolysis of permethylated glycopeptides and glycoproteins has been developed. It involves methanolysis of a permethylated compound, quantitative transformation of methyl ethers of methyl glycosides into the corresponding O-trimethylsilyl(TMS)-O-methylalditols [2-deoxy-2-(N-methyl)acetamido-O-TMS-O-methylalditols in the case of hexosamine derivatives] and gas chromatographic quantification using a single column packed with 0.4% OV-225 on surface-modified Chromosorb.

Isolation of galactoprotein a from hamster embryo fibroblasts and characterization of the carbohydrate unit

A major cell surface labeled glycoprotein of hamster embryo fibroblasts, with a subunit molecular weight of 230 000, which is deleted on viral transformation [Gahmberg, C. G., & Hakomori, S. (1973) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 70, 3329--3333; Hynes, R. O. (1973) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 70, 3170--3174], was quantitatively extracted and purified on an insolubilized Ricinus communis lectin--poly(acrylhydrazido)agarose column. A glycopeptide with a molecular weight of 2000 was isolated from the glycoprotein after exhaustive digestion with protease of Streptomyces griseus. The carbohydrate structure of the isolated glycopeptide was determined, as seen in Figure 7, by carbohydrate analysis, stepwise degradation by exoglycosidases followed by hydrolysis with endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase of Diplococcus pneumoniae, methylation analysis with gas chromatography--mass spectrometry, and direct probe mass spectrometry of the methylated core oligosaccharide, released by endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase.

The molecular size of glycans liberated by hydrazinolysis from Semliki Forest virus proteins

The glycans of well characterized, [6-3H]galactose-labelled glycopeptides, GC-4 from bovine IgG1 as well as GP-V-2 and GP-V-5 from alpha1-acid glycoprotein, were liberated by hydrazinolysis. Molecular weights close to the expected values were observed by gel filtration. Desialated glycans of Semliki Forest virus proteins were likewise liberated by hydrazinolysis and subjected to gel filtration. Metabolically labelled [1-3H]galactose-oligosaccharides of the mixed viral proteins revealed an apparent molecular weight of 1800. The bi-antennary glycan liberated from the reference glycopiptide GC-4 was of 1750 daltons. A mixture of [2-3H]mannose-labelled E1- and E2-proteins of the virus contained L-type glycans of 1800 daltons (formerly called A-type), and M-type glycans of 1200 daltons (formerly called B-type). A fraction of the E3-glycans isolated by affinity chromatography on Concanavlin A-Sepharose showed an average molecular weight of 2150, a value intermediate between the three- and four-antennary glycans liberated from the reference glycopeptides GP-V-5 and GP-V-2. The rest of the E3-glycans were of 1850 daltons, a value close to the bi-antennary GC-4 glycan. We suggest that the comparatively large size of the E3-glycans and the exposed position of E3-proteins on the viral surface may be interrelated.

[Complete structure of glycopeptides isolated from IgG immunoglobulins of cow colostrum]

Bovine immunoglobulins (IgG1 type) have been isolated from colostral whey. Hydrolysis by pronase, trypsin and (or) chymotrypsin yield several glycopeptides structural studies of which lead to the following results. 1. IgG1 colostral immunoglobulins possess two glycan moieties which are linked to the peptidic chain by an N-(beta-aspartyl)-N-acetylglucosaminylamine bound. 2. The peptidic sequence around the linkage region has been determined by classical methods and is as follows: Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Glu-Glu-Gln-Phe-Asn(Glycan)-Ser-Thr-Tyr-Arg. 3. The following procedures: partial acidic hydrolysis, periodic oxidation, hydrazinolysis-nitrous deamination, methylation and use of specific glycosidases allowed us to determine the structure of the glycan moieties which fit with the general following scheme: (see article) Thus they could be related to the general glycan structure so-called of "N-acetyllactosamine type" because they possess the pentasaccharidic core common to numerous glycoproteins Man alpha 1 leads to [Man alpha 1 leads to 6] Man beta 1 leads to 4 GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4 GlcNAc beta 1 leads to Asn on which are conjugated 2 N-acetyllactosamine residues. Besides they present a microheterogeneity which is due to the varying number of additional N-acetylneuraminic acid and fucose residues. 4. These structures are compared to various immunoglobulin structures proposed by others: bovine serum IgG and human serum IgG, IgE and IgA.