Structural assessment of beta-glucuronidase carbohydrate chains by lectin affinity chromatography

Characterization of the oligosaccharide component of microsomal beta-glucuronidase from rat liver

The oligosaccharides of microsomal beta-glucuronidase were analysed by gel permeation and weak anion exchange chromatography following hydrazine release. N-linked glycans, constituted 80% of the total glycan pool and were mainly of the tri- and biantennary complex type with or without core and arm fucose. The major oligosaccharide, that comprised 30.6% of all the species analysed, was structurally identified by reagent array analysis method and found to be a triantennary complex structure, Galbeta1,4GlcNAcbeta1,2Manalpha1,6(3)(Galbeta1,4GlcNAcbeta1,4(Galbeta1,4GlcNAcbeta1,2) Manalpha1,3(6))Manbeta1,4GlcNAcbeta1,4 GlcNAc. O-Linked glycans comprised 20% of the total glycan pool, the major species being Galbeta1,3GalNAc. All of the N- and O-linked glycans were charged. Most of the negative charge was due to sialic acid (85.0%) with the remainder being phosphate present as phosphomonoesters (7.3%) and phosphodiesters (5%). This is the first report of O-linked carbohydrate chains in microsomal beta-glucuronidase. The presence of O-linked glycans and branched N-linked glycans in a microsomal enzyme, in relation to the current view of glycosyltransferase compartmentalization in the Golgi is discussed.

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.

Affinity chromatography of branched oligosaccharides in rat liver beta-glucuronidase

Rat liver microsomal and lysosomal beta-glucuronidase-derived glycopeptides were obtained by extensive Pronase digestion followed by N-[14C]acetylation and desialylation by neuraminidase treatment. These glycopeptides were studied by sequential chromatography on lectin-affinity columns such as concanavalin A, lentil lectin, Phaseolus vulgaris erythroagglutinin, Ricinus communis agglutinin I, Triticum vulgaris agglutinin, Glycine max agglutinin and Ulex europaeus agglutinin. Using serial lectin affinity chromatography approach combined with neuraminidase treatment allowed us to show the unexpected presence of complex tri- and/or tetraantennary type glycans (40.8 and 17.0% for microsomal and lysosomal enzyme, respectively). Moreover, the application of neuraminidase treatment revealed that complex biantennary type glycans, present on lysosomal beta-glucuronidase, are almost fully sialylated while the same type of glycans present on microsomal enzyme do not contain sialic acid. Furthermore, the results obtained confirmed that microsomal and lysosomal beta-glucuronidases possess high mannose and/or hybrid type glycans (19.6 and 36.6%, respectively), and complex biantennary type glycans (38.9 and 46.4%, respectively).