The structures of oligosaccharides excreted by sheep with swainsonine toxicosis

Swainsonine inhibits autophagic degradation and causes cytotoxicity by reducing CTSD O-GlcNAcylation

Swainsonine (SW) is the primary toxin in locoweed, a poisonous plant. SW can cause animal poisoning, affect the quality and safety of meat products and threaten human health, but the mechanism of its toxicity is little defined. Here, we identified 159 differentially expressed proteins, many of which are involved in autophagy and glycosylation modification processes, using proteomics sequencing analysis. O-linked-N-acetylglucosamylation (O-GlcNAcylation) is a glycosylation modification widely involved in various biological processes. Our results show that SW toxicity is related to O-GlcNAcylation. In addition, increased O-GlcNAcylation with the O-GlcNAcase (OGA) inhibitor TMG promoted autophagy, while decreased O-GlcNAcylation with the O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) inhibitor OSMI inhibited autophagy. Further analysis by Immunoprecipitation (IP) showed that SW could change the O-GlcNAcylation of Cathepsin D (CTSD), reducing the expression of mature CTSD (m-CTSD). In summary, these findings suggest that SW inhibits the O-GlcNAcylation of CTSD, affecting its maturation and leading to the impairment of lysosome function. Consequently, it inhibits autophagy degradation, and causes cytotoxicity, providing a new theoretical basis for SW toxicological mechanism.

Neurotoxic mycotoxins: a review of fungal toxins that cause neurological disease in large animals

Five mycotoxins found in concentrates or roughages have been shown to cause neurologic disease in livestock. Fumonisin B1 is produced by Fusarium moniliforme and causes leukoencephalomalacia in horses. Swainsonine and slaframine are produced by Rhizoctonia leguminicola and cause mannose accumulation and parasympathomimetic effects, respectively. Lolitrems from Acremonium lolii and paspalitrems from Claviceps paspali are tremorgens found in grasses.

Evidence for processing of dolichol-linked oligosaccharides in patients with neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis

In agreement with reports from other laboratories, we have shown that patients with the juvenile or late infantile forms of neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis (NCL) have greatly increased levels (5-fold to 20-fold) of dolichyl pyrophosphoryl oligosaccharides in their cerebral gray matter. Oligosaccharides containing 2 GlcNAc residues and 3 to 9 mannose residues were liberated by mild acid hydrolysis. The oligosaccharide profile given by brain tissue from 2 patients with infantile NCL was markedly different from that of late infantile and juvenile NCL brain, with Man9GlcNAc2 as the most abundant component and decreasing amounts of Man8- Man7- and Man6GlcNAc2. By contrast, Man5GlcNAc2 was the most abundant oligosaccharide present in all juvenile NCL brain samples analyzed. Both the susceptibility of the isolated Man5GlcNAc2 to endoglucosaminidase H digestion and permethylation analysis clearly indicated that it is not an intermediate in the biosynthesis of Glc3Man9GlcNAc2-PP-dolichol but has undergone catabolism, probably either in the endoplasmic reticulum or in the Golgi apparatus. Treatment of cultured skin fibroblasts for 7 days with N-methyldeoxynojirimycin, a potent inhibitor of the endoplasmic reticulum processing enzymes glucosidase I and II, resulted in an accumulation of the same Man5GlcNAc2-PP-dolichol species that was elevated in juvenile NCL brain. The level in untreated fibroblasts was undetectable, suggesting that inhibition of processing glucosidases has interfered with the regulation and compartmentalization of lipid-linked oligosaccharides.

Clinical, neurophysiological, biochemical and morphological features of eyes in Persian cats with mannosidosis

The clinical, neurophysiological, morphological and biochemical manifestation of eyes from Persian kittens affected with alpha-mannosidosis were studied. Clinically the disease is characterized by progressive corneal and lenticular opacification. In addition there is asymmetry in shape and latency of signal conductions which were demonstrated by visual evoked potential studies. Morphological and histochemical studies revealed vacuolization of various ocular cell types which stained positively with Concanavalia ensiformis agglutinin (Con A) and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). Biochemical studies illustrated low activity of acid alpha-mannosidase in cultured keratocytes and abnormal storage of partially degraded oligosaccharides in these cells, in vitreous humor and lens. This comprehensive study of ocular alpha-mannosidosis demonstrates enzyme deficiency which leads to abnormal storage of oligosaccharides in affected cells and is manifested by morphological alterations and functional impairment.

Application of lectin histochemistry and carbohydrate analysis to the characterization of lysosomal storage diseases

In lysosomal storage diseases that involve a defect in the catabolism of glycoconjugates, lectin histochemistry adds a new dimension to the characterization of stored carbohydrates as it identifies sugar residues in situ in the affected cells and, thus, determines which cell types are affected by storage. It may be combined with chemical and biochemical analysis by h.p.l.c. The present review summarizes recent results for a variety of storage diseases and presents new data for GM1-gangliosidosis.

Characterization of N-linked glycans by supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry

N-Linked glycans have been characterized by supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and SFC-MS using positive- and negative-ion chemical ionization. Four common oligosaccharide derivatives have been prepared and their chromatographic properties assessed on three SFC columns of varying polarity. Carbon dioxide has been used as the SFC mobile phase, with ammonia or CO2 added to the ion source for positive- and negative-ion chemical ionization, respectively. Direct SFC-MS interfacing allows the analytical manipulations of single-ion monitoring, total-ion plots, background subtraction, library searches, and spectral reconstruction algorithms. Positive ammonia chemical ionization yields abundant molecular-weight information, (MH)+, and (MNH4)+ with little or no fragmentation. To capitalize on sensitivity, samples were prepared with the pentafluorobenzyl aminobenzoate reagent, acetylated, and analyzed by SFC-NICI-MS. This modification improves column efficiency and resolution and greatly enhances detecting sensitivity. These "soft" ionization conditions provide abundant molecular-weight-related anions for collision-induced dissociation and subpicogram detection.

Different oligosaccharides accumulate in the brain and urine of a cat with alpha-mannosidosis: structure determination of five brain-derived and seventeen urinary oligosaccharides

Five brain-derived and 17 urinary oligomannose-type oligosaccharides were isolated by ion-exchange chromatography on Mono Q or Dowex, followed by HPLC on Lichrosorb-NH2 from a Persian cat suffering from alpha-mannosidosis. The structures of the carbohydrate chains were determined by 500- or 600-MHz 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Different oligosaccharide patterns were found in brain and urine. 99% of the urinary oligosaccharides possess an alpha(1-6)-linked mannose residue attached to beta-mannose, whereas only 5% of the brain-derived oligosaccharides contain such a residue. Furthermore, of the urinary carbohydrate chains 71% end with Man beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-4GlcNAc and 29% end with Man beta 1-4GlcNAc, whereas the corresponding amounts are 23% and 77%, respectively, for the brain-derived oligosaccharides.

A high-performance liquid chromatography method for the analysis of picomole amounts of oligosaccharides

A method for the high-performance liquid chromatography separation of tritium-reduced, acetylated oligosaccharides is described. Their highly sensitive detection in column eluant is facilitated by the use of a flow radioactivity detector. The method differentiates some structural isomers and provides resolution of high-mannose oligosaccharides comparable or superior to that of other high-performance liquid chromatography methods. The detection limit is 0.3 pmol of oligosaccharide. For the detection of radioactive oligosaccharides this method is much less laborious than scintillation counting of collected peak fractions. Generation of a continuous chromatographic trace offers a particular advantage in the detection of partially resolved peaks and the visualization of peak shape. A study of some of the factors influencing acetylation and reduction has led to the development of a robust analytical method.

Effects of the alpha-mannosidase inhibitors, 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-D-mannitol and swainsonine, on glycoprotein catabolism in cultured macrophages

Thioglycollate-stimulated murine peritoneal macrophages were cultured for eight days in the presence of swainsonine, or 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-D-mannitol (DIM), or both of these competitive alpha-mannosidase inhibitors together. Analysis of accumulated high-mannose oligosaccharides by reversed phase HPLC after perbenzoylation revealed that DIM- and DIM-plus swainsonine-treated macrophages contained larger amounts of Man7GlcNAc, Man8GlcNAc and Man9GlcNAc, while swainsonine-treated macrophages contained relatively more Man3GlcNAc and Man5GlcNAc. These results are consistent with the known inhibitory effects of DIM and swainsonine on Golgi mannosidases I and II, respectively, and on lysosomal alpha-mannosidase. Depletion of stored oligosaccharides to control values was complete within seven days of terminating swainsonine treatment.