A new method for sequencing linear oligosaccharides on gels using charged, fluorescent conjugates

The impact of aminopyrene trisulfonate (APTS) label in acceptor glycan substrates for profiling plant pectin β-galactosyltransferase activities

Aminopyrene trisulfonate (APTS)-labelled disaccharides are demonstrated to serve as readily accessible acceptor substrates for galactosyltransferase activities present in Arabidopsis microsome preparations. The reductive amination procedure used to install the fluorophore results in loss of the ring structure of the reducing terminal sugar unit, such that a single intact sugar ring is present, attached via an alditol tether to the aminopyrene fluorophore. The configuration of the alditol portion of the labelled acceptor, as well as the position of alditol galactosylation, substantially influence the ability of compounds to serve as Arabidopsis galactosyltransferase acceptor substrates. The APTS label exhibits an unexpected reaction-promoting effect that is not evident for structurally similar sulfonated aromatic fluorophores ANDS and ANTS. When APTS-labelled β-(1 → 4)-Gal₃ was employed as an acceptor substrate with Arabidopsis microsomes, glycan extension generated β-(1 → 4)-galactan chains running to beyond 60 galactose residues. These studies demonstrate the potential of even very short glycan-APTS probes for assessing plant galactosyltransferase activities and the suitability CE-LIF for CAZyme profiling.

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APTS-labelled disaccharides serve as acceptor substrates for galactosyltransferases.

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Configuration of the alditol linker and site of glycosylation influence GalT turnover.

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APTS shows a reaction-promoting effect not evident for similar fluorophores.

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β-(1 → 4)-Gal₃-APTS acceptor supports enzymatic extension to > 60 galactose residues

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Demonstrates the potential of glycan-APTS probes with CE-LIF for CAZyme profiling.

Proteoglycan sequence

Proteoglycans (PGs) are among the most structurally complex biomacromolecules in nature. They are present in all animal cells and frequently exert their critical biological functions through interactions with protein ligands and receptors. PGs are comprised of a core protein to which one or multiple, heterogeneous, and polydisperse glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains are attached. Proteins, including the protein core of PGs, are now routinely sequenced either directly using proteomics or indirectly using molecular biology through their encoding DNA. The sequencing of the GAG component of PGs poses a considerably more difficult challenge because of the relatively underdeveloped state of glycomics and because the control of their biosynthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi is poorly understood and not believed to be template driven. Recently, the GAG chain of the simplest PG has been suggested to have a defined sequence based on its top-down Fourier transform mass spectral sequencing. This review examines the advances made over the past decade in the sequencing of GAG chains and the challenges the field face in sequencing complex PGs having critical biological functions in developmental biology and pathogenesis.

A convenient method for synthesis of glyconanoparticles for colorimetric measuring carbohydrate-protein interactions

Carbohydrate functionalized nanoparticles, i.e., the glyconanoparticles, have wide application ranging from studies of carbohydrate-protein interactions, in vivo cell imaging, biolabeling, etc. Currently reported methods for preparation of glyconanoparticles require multi-step modifications of carbohydrates moieties to conjugate to nanoparticle surface. However, the required synthetic manipulations are difficult and time consuming. We report herewith a simple and versatile method for preparing glyconanoparticles. This method is based on the utilization of clean and convenient microwave irradiation energy for one-step, site-specific conjugation of unmodified carbohydrates onto hydrazide-functionalized Au nanoparticles. A colorimetric assay that utilizes the ensemble of gold glyconanoparticles and Concanavalin A (ConA) was also presented. This feasible assay system was developed to analyze multivalent interactions and to determine the dissociation constant (K(d)) for five kind of Au glyconanoparticles with lectin. Surface plasmon changes of the Au glyconanoparticles as a function of lectin-carbohydrate interactions were measured and the dissociation constants were determined based on non-linear curve fitting. The strength of the interaction of carbohydrates with ConA was found to be as follows: maltose>mannose>glucose>lactose>MAN5.

Capillary electrophoresis of acidic oligosaccharides from human milk

Interest in defining the array of oligosaccharides of human milk has been increasing. Pathogens that bind glycans on their host mucosal surfaces may be inhibited by human milk oligosaccharides. It has been postulated that acidic oligosaccharides in human milk may inhibit binding by pathogens that bind acidic glycans in the gut, but testing this hypothesis requires their reliable quantification in milk. Sialyloligosaccharides of human milk have been quantified by HPLC and CE. A recent CE technique uses the MEKC mode with direct detection at 205 nm to resolve and quantify, in the native form, the 12 most dominant sialyloligosaccharides of human milk in a single 35-min run. The method gives a linear response from 39 to 2500 microg/mL with a coefficient of variation between 2 to 9% and accuracy from 93 to 109%. This was used to detect variation in expression of specific sialyloligosaccharides in milk. Individual sialyloligosaccharide concentrations in milk differ among individual donors and between less and more mature milk. Thus, CE can be used to measure variation in sialyloligosaccharide expression in milk, and thereby test the relationship of this variation-to-variation in risk of specific diseases in breastfed infants.

Semi-synthetic heparin derivatives: chemical modifications of heparin beyond chain length, sulfate substitution pattern and N-sulfo/N-acetyl groups

The glycosaminoglycan heparin is a polyanionic polysaccharide most recognized for its anticoagulant activity. Heparin binds to cationic regions in hundreds of prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins, termed heparin-binding proteins. The endogenous ligand for many of these heparin-binding proteins is a structurally similar glycosaminoglycan, heparan sulfate (HS). Chemical and biosynthetic modifications of heparin and HS have been employed to discern specific sequences and charge-substitution patterns required for these polysaccharides to bind specific proteins, with the goal of understanding structural requirements for protein binding well enough to elucidate the function of the saccharide-protein interactions and/or to develop new or improved heparin-based pharmaceuticals. The most common modifications to heparin structure have been alteration of sulfate substitution patterns, carboxyl reduction, replacement N-sulfo groups with N-acetyl groups, and chain fragmentation. However, an accumulation of reports over the past 50 years describe semi-synthetic heparin derivatives obtained by incorporating aliphatic, aryl, and heteroaryl moieties into the heparin structure. A primary goal in many of these reports has been to identify heparin-derived structures as new or improved heparin-based therapeutics. Presented here is a perspective on the introduction of non-anionic structural motifs into heparin structure, with a focus on such modifications as a strategy to generate novel reduced-charge heparin-based bind-and-block antagonists of HS-protein interactions. The chemical methods employed to synthesize such derivatives, as well as other unique heparin conjugates, are reviewed.

The aggregation of pig articular chondrocyte and synthesis of extracellular matrix by a lactose-modified chitosan

A reductive amination reaction (N-alkylation) obtained exploiting the aldheyde group of lactose and the amino group of the glucosamine residues of chitosan (d.a. 89%) afforded a highly soluble engineered polysaccharide (chitlac) for a potential application in the repair of the articular cartilage. Chitosan derivatives with 9% and 64% of side chain groups introduced have been prepared and characterized by means of potentiometric titration, (1)H-NMR and intrinsic viscosity. Both polymers, with respect to the unmodified chitosan, induce cell aggregation when in contact with a primary culture of pig chondrocytes, leading to the formation of nodules of considerable dimensions (up to 0.5-1 mm in diameter). The nodules obtained from chondrocytes treated with chitlac with the higher degree of substitution have been studied by means of optical and electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) and the production of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and collagen has been measured by means of colorimetric assays. The chondro-specificity of GAG and collagen was determined by RT-PCR. The results show that the lactose-modified chitosan is non-toxic and stimulates the production of aggrecan and type II collagen.

Metabolic alteration of the N-glycan structure of a protein from patients with a heterozygous protein deficiency

Glycosylation, an important post-translation modification, could alter biological activity or influence the clearance rates of glycoproteins. We report here the first example of a heterozygous protein deficiency leading to metabolic alteration of N-glycan structures in residual secreted protein. Analysis of C1 esterase inhibitor (C1INH) glycans from normal individuals and patients with hereditary deficiency of C1INH demonstrated identical O-glycan structures but the N-glycans of patients with a heterozygous genetic deficiency were small, highly charged and lacked sialidase releasable N-acetylneuraminic acid. Structural studies indicate that the charge character of these aberrant N-glycan structures may result from the presence of mannose-6-phosphate residues. These residues might facilitate secretion of C1INH through an alternate lysosomal pathway, possibly serving as a compensatory mechanism to enhance plasma levels of C1INH in these deficient patients.

Analysis of carbohydrates as 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone derivatives by capillary/microchip electrophoresis and capillary electrochromatography

The 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP) method has many advantages over hitherto reported methods based on reductive amination and hydrazone formation. This short review summarizes the various aspects of the PMP method, including the principle of derivatization, the simplicity of derivatization procedure, the high sensitivities to UV monitoring and ESI-MS, and the diversity of separation modes in capillary electrophoresis, and presents a number of application data for carbohydrate analysis in biological samples by this method. It also describes successful automation of carbohydrate analysis by in-capillary derivatization with PMP and miniaturization to microchip electrophoresis with whole channel UV detection allowing rapid (within 1 min) analysis of small amounts of PMP derivatives of carbohydrates. Furthermore, it discusses the possibility of capillary electrochromatography in carbohydrate analysis as PMP derivatives, and proposes an in-capillary modification strategy for improving column efficiency and elution time reproducibility.

Capillary electrophoresis for the analysis of glycosaminoglycans and glycosaminoglycan-derived oligosaccharides

Glycosaminoglycans are a family of polydisperse, highly sulfated complex mixtures of linear polysaccharides that are involved in many life processes. Defining the structure of glycosaminoglycans is an important factor in elucidating their structure-activity relationship. Capillary electrophoresis has emerged as a highly promising technique consuming an extremely small amount of sample and capable of rapid, high-resolution separation, characterization and quantitation of analytes. Numerous capillary electrophoresis methods for analysis of intact glycosaminoglycans and glycosaminoglycan-derived oligosaccharides have been developed. These methods allow for both qualitative and quantitative analysis with a high level of sensitivity. This review is concerned with separation methods of capillary electrophoresis, detection methods and applications to several aspects of research into glycosaminoglycans and glycosaminoglycan-derived oligosaccharides. The importance of capillary electrophoresis in biological and pharmaceutical samples in glycobiology and carbohydrate biochemistry and its possible applications in disease diagnosis and monitoring chemical synthesis are described.

Structural studies on kappa-carrageenan derived oligosaccharides

Oligosaccharides were prepared through mild hydrochloric acid hydrolysis of kappa-carrageenan from Kappaphycus striatum carrageenan. Three oligosaccharides were purified by strong-anion exchange high-performance chromatography. Their structure was elucidated using mass spectral and NMR data. Negative-ion electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra at different fragmentor voltages provided the molecular weight of the compounds and unraveled the fragmentation pattern of the kappa-carrageenan oligosaccharides. 2D NMR techniques, including 1H-(1)H COSY, 1H-(1)H TOCSY and 13C-(1)H HMQC, were performed to determine the structure of a trisulfated pentasaccharide. 1D NMR and ESIMS were used to determine the structures of a kappa-carrageenan-derived pentasaccharide, heptasaccharide, and an undecasaccharide. All the oligosaccharides characterized have a 4-O-sulfo-D-galactopyranose residue at both the reducing and nonreducing ends.

The effect of dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration on the glycosylation of recombinant protein produced by the insect cell-baculovirus expression system

The effect of dissolved oxygen concentration on human secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) glycosylation by the insect cell-baculovirus expression system was investigated in a well-controlled bioreactor. Oligomannose-type N-linked glycans (i.e., Man2 to Man6 and Man3F) were present in SEAP produced by Spodoptera frusiperda Sf-9 (Sf-9) and Trichoplusia ni BTI-Tn-5B1-4 (Tn-5B1-4) insect cell lines. The relative amounts of the most highly processed glycans (i.e., Man3F and Man2 in the SEAP from Sf-9 and Tn-5B1-4 cells, respectively) were significantly higher at 50% of air saturation than at either 10% or 190% of air saturation. That is, glycan processing was inhibited at both low and high dissolved oxygen concentrations.

Expression of C1 esterase inhibitor by the baculovirus expression vector system: preparation, purification, and characterization

C1 esterase inhibitor (C1INH) is an important regulator of the classical complement pathway. Hereditary deficiency of C1INH causes angioedema of the skin, gut, and respiratory tissues that may be fatal. C1INH replacement therapy may be lifesaving for patients with this disorder. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of the baculovirus expression vector system for mass producing biologically active human recombinant (rC1INH). A recombinant baculovirus was constructed coding the human native (nC1INH) sequence under control of the polyhedrin promoter. Spodoptera frugiperda Sf-9 insect cells were infected with this recombinant baculovirus in a medium-scale (10-L) bioreactor to produce rC1INH with a specific activity of 45 U/mg. Purification of rC1INH from the culture harvested at 60 h postinfection yielded 5.9 microg rC1INH/mL supernatant of a 75-kDa product with a specific activity of 31,000 U/mg purified rC1INH compared to 71,000 U/mg purified nC1INH from human serum using the same procedure. This rC1INH was about 25 kDa smaller than nC1INH, suggesting that Sf-9 cells express underglycosylated rC1INH. Glycan analysis showed that both N-glycan and O-glycan chains were present in rC1INH. The N-glycan chains, released using PNGaseF and fluorescently labeled, were analyzed using exoglycosidase treatment and capillary electrophoresis. Their high-mannose structure was consistent with the known failure of the insect cell glycosylation pathway to afford the fully elaborated biantennary structures found on human native nC1INH.

Chemoenzymatic preparation of dermatan sulfate oligosaccharides as arylsulfatase B and alpha-L-iduronidase substrates

Dermatan sulfate was partially depolymerized with chondroitin ABC lyase to obtain an oligosaccharide mixture from which an unsaturated disulfated tetrasaccharide was purified and characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Chemical removal of the unsaturated uronate residue with mercuric acetate, followed by de-4-O-sulfation with arylsulfatase B (N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfatase) and N- acetylhexosaminidase catalyzed removal of the 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-galactospyranosyl residue at the non-reducing end afforded a monosulfated disaccharide of the structure alpha-L-idopyranosyluronic acid (1-->3)-alpha,beta-D-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-O-sulfo galactopyranose. This monosulfated disaccharide serves as a substrate for mammalian alpha-L-iduronidase as demonstrated using fluorophore assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis.

Human LTC-IC can be maintained for at least 5 weeks in vitro when interleukin-3 and a single chemokine are combined with O-sulfated heparan sulfates: requirement for optimal binding interactions of heparan sulfate with early-acting cytokines and matrix proteins

We have shown that stromal O-sulfated heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans (O-S-GAGs) regulate primitive human hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) growth and differentiation by colocalizing heparin-binding cytokines and matrix proteins with HPC in stem cell “niches” in the marrow microenvironment. We now show that long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-IC) are maintained for 5 weeks in the absence of stroma when O-S-GAGs are added to IL-3 and either MIP-1 or PF4 (LTC-IC maintenance without GAGs, 32 ± 2%; with GAGs, 95 ± 7%; P < .001). When cultured with 5 additional cytokines, O-S-GAGs, IL-3, and MIP-1, LTC-IC expanded 2- to 4-fold at 2 weeks, and 92 ± 8% LTC-IC were maintained at 5 weeks. Similar results were seen when PF4 replaced MIP-1. Although O-S-GAG omission did not affect 2-week expansion, only 20% LTC-IC were maintained for 5 weeks. When O-S-heparin was replaced by completely desulfated-, N-sulfated (O-desulfated), or unmodified heparins, LTC-IC maintenance at week 5 was not better than with cytokines alone. Unmodified- and O-S-heparin, but not desulfated- or N-sulfated heparin, bound to MIP-1, IL-3, PF4, VEGF, thrombospondin, and fibronectin. However, the affinity of heparin for thrombospondin and PF4, and the association and dissociation rates of heparin for PF4, were higher than those of O-S-heparin. We conclude that (i) although cytokines may suffice to induce early expansion, adult human LTC-IC maintenance for longer than 1 month requires O-S-GAGs, and (ii) HPC support may depend not only on the ability of GAGs to bind proteins, but also on optimal affinity and kinetics of interactions that affect presentation of proteins in a biologically active manner to progenitors. (Blood. 2000;95:147-155)

Human LTC-IC can be maintained for at least 5 weeks in vitro when interleukin-3 and a single chemokine are combined with O-sulfated heparan sulfates: requirement for optimal binding interactions of heparan sulfate with early-acting cytokines and matrix proteins

We have shown that stromal O-sulfated heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans (O-S-GAGs) regulate primitive human hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) growth and differentiation by colocalizing heparin-binding cytokines and matrix proteins with HPC in stem cell “niches” in the marrow microenvironment. We now show that long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-IC) are maintained for 5 weeks in the absence of stroma when O-S-GAGs are added to IL-3 and either MIP-1 or PF4 (LTC-IC maintenance without GAGs, 32 ± 2%; with GAGs, 95 ± 7%; P < .001). When cultured with 5 additional cytokines, O-S-GAGs, IL-3, and MIP-1, LTC-IC expanded 2- to 4-fold at 2 weeks, and 92 ± 8% LTC-IC were maintained at 5 weeks. Similar results were seen when PF4 replaced MIP-1. Although O-S-GAG omission did not affect 2-week expansion, only 20% LTC-IC were maintained for 5 weeks. When O-S-heparin was replaced by completely desulfated-, N-sulfated (O-desulfated), or unmodified heparins, LTC-IC maintenance at week 5 was not better than with cytokines alone. Unmodified- and O-S-heparin, but not desulfated- or N-sulfated heparin, bound to MIP-1, IL-3, PF4, VEGF, thrombospondin, and fibronectin. However, the affinity of heparin for thrombospondin and PF4, and the association and dissociation rates of heparin for PF4, were higher than those of O-S-heparin. We conclude that (i) although cytokines may suffice to induce early expansion, adult human LTC-IC maintenance for longer than 1 month requires O-S-GAGs, and (ii) HPC support may depend not only on the ability of GAGs to bind proteins, but also on optimal affinity and kinetics of interactions that affect presentation of proteins in a biologically active manner to progenitors. (Blood. 2000;95:147-155)

Electrophoretic analysis of glycoprotein glycans produced by lepidopteran insect cells infected with an immediate early recombinant baculovirus encoding mammalian beta1,4-galactosyltransferase

Glycosylation, the most extensive co- and post-translational modification of eukaryotic cells, can significantly affect biological activity and is particularly important for recombinant glycoproteins in human therapeutic applications. The baculovirus-insect cell expression system is a popular tool for the expression of heterologous proteins and has an excellent record of producing high levels of biologically active eukaryotic proteins. Insect cells are capable of glycosylation, but their N-glycosylation pathway is truncated in comparison with the pathway of mammalian cells. A previous study demonstrated that an immediate early recombinant baculovirus could be used to extend the insect cell N-glycosylation pathway by contributing bovine beta-1,4 galactosyltransferase (GalT) immediately after infection. Lectin blotting assays indicated that this ectopically expressed enzyme could transfer galactose to an N-linked glycan on a foreign glycoprotein expressed later in infection. In the current study, glycans were isolated from total Sf-9 cell glycoproteins after infection with the immediate early recombinant baculovirus encoding GalT, fluorescently conjugated and analyzed by electrophoresis in combination with exoglycosidase digestion. These direct analyses clearly demonstrated that Sf-9 cells infected with this recombinant baculovirus can synthesize galactosylated N-linked glycans.

3-Aminobenzamide and 3-aminobenzoic acid, tags for capillary electrophoresis of complex carbohydrates with laser-induced fluorescent detection

The efficiencies in derivatization of reducing carbohydrates were compared by capillary electrophoresis using maltose as a model with nine monoaminobenzene derivatives by reductive amination in the presence of sodium cyanoborohydride. We found that aminobenzene derivatives substituted at the 3-position showed good reactivity with reducing carbohydrates as expected from the reaction mechanism, although the fluorescence intensities and molar absorptivities of these derivatives were not as high as those of 2- and 4-aminobenzene derivatives. The reagents, 3-aminobenzamide and 3-aminobenzoic acid, which showed the highest reactivity, were applied to the labeling of carbohydrate chains obtained from some sialic acid-containing glycoprotein samples, and also high-mannose and hybrid-type oligosaccharides. Capillary electrophoresis of these labeled carbohydrate chains in an inner surface-modified capillary with (50% phenyl)methylpolysiloxane allowed excellent separation of sialic acid-containing carbohydrate chains derived from fetuin and thyroglobulin as well as high mannose-type and hybrid-type carbohydrates derived from bovine pancreas ribonuclease B, soybean agglutinin and hen ovalbumin. The lower limit of calibration was as low as the 10(-16) mol (injected amount) with helium-cadmium laser induced detection.

Inhibition of hyaluronidase by fully O-sulfonated glycosaminoglycans

We report a new flow injection assay (FIA) method for determining hyaluronidase activity and the inhibitory effects of chemical fully O-sulfonated glycosaminoglycans on this enzyme. The products of enzymatic action on hyaluronidase can be detected by FIA using fluorometric detection with the fluorogenic reagent 2-cyanoacetamide. The major products derived from hyaluronan by the action of mammalian testicular hyaluronidase (a hydrolyase) were confirmed by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and capillary electrophoresis. The FIA method was next applied to the assay of hyman urinary hyaluronidase activity and the screening of hyaluronidase inhibitors. The human urinary hyaluronidase activity measured ranged from 46 to 59 turbidity reducing units/mg protein. Among the glycosaminoglycans only heparin showed hyaluronidase inhibition. Chemically O-sulfonated glycosaminoglycans showed IC(50) values of hyaluronidase inhibition that correlated with the degree of O-sulfonation. Heparin was found to inhibit hyaluronidase activity noncompetitively, while chemically O-sulfonated HA strongly inhibited hyaluronidase through both competitive and noncompetitive effects.

A strategy for rapid sequencing of heparan sulfate and heparin saccharides

Sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are linear polysaccharides of repeating disaccharide sequences on which are superimposed highly complex and variable patterns of sulfation, especially in heparan sulfate (HS). HS and the structurally related heparin exert important biological functions, primarily by interacting with proteins and regulating their activities. Evidence is accumulating that these interactions depend on specific saccharide sequences, but the lack of simple, direct techniques for sequencing GAG saccharides has been a major obstacle to progress. We describe how HS and heparin saccharides can be sequenced rapidly by using an integrated strategy with chemical and enzymic steps. Attachment of a reducing-end fluorescent tag establishes a reading frame. Partial selective chemical cleavage at internal N-sulfoglucosamine residues with nitrous acid then creates a set of fragments of defined sizes. Subsequent digestion of these fragments with combinations of exosulfatases and exoglycosidases permits the selective removal of specific sulfates and monosaccharides from their nonreducing ends. PAGE of the products yields a pattern of fluorescent bands from which the saccharide sequence can be read directly. Data are presented on sequencing of heparin tetrasaccharides and hexasaccharides of known structure; these data show the accuracy and versatility of this sequencing strategy. Data also are presented on the application of the strategy to the sequencing of an HS decasaccharide of unknown structure. Application and further development of this sequencing strategy, called integral glycan sequencing, will accelerate progress in defining the structure-activity relationships of these complex GAGs and lead to important insights into their biological functions.

Structurally Specific Heparan Sulfates Support Primitive Human Hematopoiesis by Formation of a Multimolecular Stem Cell Niche

Stem cell localization, conservation, and differentiation is believed to occur in niches in the marrow stromal microenvironment. Our recent observation that long-term in vitro human hematopoiesis requires a stromal heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) led us to hypothesize that such HSPG may orchestrate the formation of the stem cell niche. We compared the structure and function of HS from M2-10B4, a hematopoiesis-supportive cell line, with HS from a nonsupportive cell line, FHS-173-We. Long-term culture-initiating cell (LTC-IC) maintenance was enhanced by PG from supportive cells but not by PG from nonsupportive cells (P &lt; .005). The supportive HS were significantly larger and more highly sulfated than the nonsupportive HS. Specifically, supportive HS contained higher 6-O-sulfation on the glucosamine residues. In agreement with these observations, purified 6-O-sulfated heparin and highly 6-O-sulfated bovine kidney HS similarly maintained LTC-IC. In contrast, completely desulfated heparin, N-sulfated heparin, and unmodified heparin did not support LTC-IC maintenance. Moreover, the supportive HS promoted LTC-IC maintenance but not differentiation of CD34+/HLA-DR−cells into colony-forming cells (CFCs) and mature blood cells. The supportive HS but not the nonsupportive HS bound both cytokines and matrix components critical for hematopoiesis, including interleukin-3 (IL-3), macrophage inflammatory protein-1 (MIP-1), and thrombospondin (TSP). Significantly more CD34+ cells adhered directly to immobilized O-sulfated heparin than to N-sulfated or desulfated heparin. Thus, hematopoiesis-supportive stromal HSPG possessing large, highly 6-O-sulfated HS mediate the juxtaposition of hematopoietic progenitors with stromal cells, specific growth-promoting (IL-3) and growth-inhibitory (MIP-1 and platelet factor 4 [PF4]) cytokines, and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as TSP. We conclude that the structural specificity of stromal HSPG that determines the selective colocalization of cytokines and ECM components leads to the formation of discrete niches, thereby orchestrating the controlled growth and differentiation of stem cells. These findings may have important implications for ex vivo expansion of and gene transfer into primitive hematopoietic progenitors.

Structurally Specific Heparan Sulfates Support Primitive Human Hematopoiesis by Formation of a Multimolecular Stem Cell Niche

Stem cell localization, conservation, and differentiation is believed to occur in niches in the marrow stromal microenvironment. Our recent observation that long-term in vitro human hematopoiesis requires a stromal heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) led us to hypothesize that such HSPG may orchestrate the formation of the stem cell niche. We compared the structure and function of HS from M2-10B4, a hematopoiesis-supportive cell line, with HS from a nonsupportive cell line, FHS-173-We. Long-term culture-initiating cell (LTC-IC) maintenance was enhanced by PG from supportive cells but not by PG from nonsupportive cells (P < .005). The supportive HS were significantly larger and more highly sulfated than the nonsupportive HS. Specifically, supportive HS contained higher 6-O-sulfation on the glucosamine residues. In agreement with these observations, purified 6-O-sulfated heparin and highly 6-O-sulfated bovine kidney HS similarly maintained LTC-IC. In contrast, completely desulfated heparin, N-sulfated heparin, and unmodified heparin did not support LTC-IC maintenance. Moreover, the supportive HS promoted LTC-IC maintenance but not differentiation of CD34+/HLA-DR−cells into colony-forming cells (CFCs) and mature blood cells. The supportive HS but not the nonsupportive HS bound both cytokines and matrix components critical for hematopoiesis, including interleukin-3 (IL-3), macrophage inflammatory protein-1 (MIP-1), and thrombospondin (TSP). Significantly more CD34+ cells adhered directly to immobilized O-sulfated heparin than to N-sulfated or desulfated heparin. Thus, hematopoiesis-supportive stromal HSPG possessing large, highly 6-O-sulfated HS mediate the juxtaposition of hematopoietic progenitors with stromal cells, specific growth-promoting (IL-3) and growth-inhibitory (MIP-1 and platelet factor 4 [PF4]) cytokines, and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as TSP. We conclude that the structural specificity of stromal HSPG that determines the selective colocalization of cytokines and ECM components leads to the formation of discrete niches, thereby orchestrating the controlled growth and differentiation of stem cells. These findings may have important implications for ex vivo expansion of and gene transfer into primitive hematopoietic progenitors.

Separation of disaccharides by affinity capillary electrophoresis in lectin-containing electrophoretic solutions

Separation of the 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP) derivatives of simple disaccharides (maltose, cellobiose, gentiobiose, lactose, and melibiose) by affinity capillary electrophoresis was investigated using lectin-containing neutral phosphate buffers, filled in a linear polyacrylamide-coated capillary. When Lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA) was added, the derivatives of glucobioses were retarded with varying magnitudes depending on the amount of LCA and were well separated from each other and from galactosyl glucose under optimized conditions. Addition of Ricinus communis 60 kDa agglutinin (RCA60) to the phosphate buffer gave a different migration profile, in which the derivatives of galactosyl glucoses were more retarded than those of glucobioses. However, addition of either lectin did not accomplish complete separation of the derivatives of all these disaccharides even under optimum conditions. The addition of two kinds of lectins in appropriate proportions improved separation. Thus, the binary system composed of LCA and RCA60, as well as LCA and soybean agglutinin from Glycine max (SBA), gave better separation of these derivatives, giving peak tops for all derivatives.

Analysis of starch structure using fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis

The analysis of the fine structure of starches is important to the investigation of linkages between starch structure and function and to the investigation of the properties and roles of starch biosynthetic, modifying and degradation enzymes. Fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis has recently been introduced as a method for the analysis of the oligosaccharide populations released by the enzymatic digestion of starches, which has advantages in resolution and sensitivity over previously used methods, and provides the capacity for the facile analysis of oligosaccharide populations on either a molar or mass basis. The use of fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis for the analysis of oligosaccharides is reviewed with particular reference to the choice of label, efficiency of labeling and separation techniques. Examples of separations using slab gel electrophoresis, DNA sequencer analysis and capillary electrophoresis are presented and we conclude that on the basis of resolution and reproducibility, capillary electrophoresis is the method of choice for the separation of oligosaccharides of degree of polymerization from 1 to 100. Examples of isoamylase-debranched starches and glycogens analyzed by capillary electrophoresis are presented. The capillary electrophoresis analysis of starch structure through the analysis of oligosaccharides released by the debranching of limit dextrins derived from starches and glycogens is introduced as a useful diagnostic of starch structure. The potential for future development of novel diagnostics for starch structure using fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis is discussed.

Exploration of the action pattern of Streptomyces hyaluronate lyase using high-resolution capillary electrophoresis

Hyaluronic acid was treated exhaustively with a hyaluronate lyase (hyaluronidase, EC 4.2.2.1) from Streptomyces hyalurolyticus to obtain a tetrasaccharide and a hexasaccharide product in a molar ratio of 1 to 1.2. The tetrasaccharide product was fluorescently labeled at the reducing end by reductive amination with 7-amino 1,3-naphthalene disulfonic acid (AGA) and the structure of the conjugate was determined spectroscopically. Partial treatments of hyaluronic acid with hyaluronate lyase afforded complex mixtures of oligosaccharides that were similarly fluorescently labeled. These labeled oligosaccharide mixtures were analyzed using high-resolution capillary electrophoresis. The resulting electropherograms showed the content of each hyaluronic acid derived oligosaccharide, having a degree of polymerization (dp) from 4 to 50, throughout the enzymatic reaction. Computer simulation studies gave comparable kinetic profiles suggesting that hyaluronate lyase exhibits a random endolytic action pattern. Interestingly, oligosaccharides of certain size (dp) were under-represented in these oligosaccharide mixtures suggesting that linkages at spacings of 10 to 12 saccharide units are somewhat resistant to this enzyme. The cause of this resistance might be the result of secondary or higher order structural features present in the hyaluronic acid polymer.

Effects of primer-concentration on uronosyl-epimerization and sulfation patterns in p-hydroxyphenyl-O-beta-D-xylopyranoside-primed galactosaminoglycans produced by skin fibroblasts

By supplying skin fibroblasts with different concentrations of the galactosaminoglycan chain-primer p-hydroxyphenyl-O-beta-D-xylopyranoside we have produced and recovered glycan-chains that were subsequently radio-iodinated in the hydroxyphenyl group and subjected to sequence analysis by using graded enzymic treatment followed by a combination of gel chromatography and electrophoresis. Fragments extending from the tagged reducing end to the cleavage-point were identified and quantified. Degradation by chondroitin B lyase of chains primed at 0.1 or 0.5 mM xyloside gave profiles indicating a periodic and wave-like distribution of iduronate-containing repeats, with high incidence around positions 2, 5 and onwards, whereas in chains produced at 1.0 mM xyloside the incidence of iduronate was similar in positions 1-4 and then declined. Degradation by chondroitin AC lyase indicated a high incidence of glucuronate in or near the linkage-region. There was a relatively uniform degree of sulfation in chains primed at low xyloside concentration, whereas chains primed at 1.0 mM xyloside gave very heterogeneous charge-patterns in all segments of the chain, including the linkage-region, giving the impression that adequate sulfation, probably at C-4 and at the first opportunity, is necessary to obtain an ordered and periodic epimerization pattern.

The analysis of fluorophore-labeled carbohydrates by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

The glycans of glycoconjugates mediate numerous important biological processes. Their separation and structural determination present considerable difficulties because of the small quantities that are available from biological sources and the inherent difficulty of analyzing the wide variety of complex structures that exist. A method for the analysis of reducing saccharides by PAGE that uses specific fluorophore labeling and is simple, rapid, sensitive, and readily available to biological researchers, has been developed. This method is known acronimically either as PAGEFS (PAGE of Fluorophore-labeled Saccharides) or in one commercial format as FACE (Fluorophore-Assisted Carbohydrate Electrophoresis). In the PAGEFS method, saccharides having an aldehydic reducing end group are labeled quantitatively with a fluorophore and then separated with high resolution by PAGE. Two fluorophores, 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (ANTS) and 2-aminoacridone (AMAC), have been used to enable the separation of a variety of saccharide positional isomers, anomers, and epimers. Subpicomolar quantities of individual saccharides can be detected using a sensitive imaging system. Mixtures of oligosaccharides obtained by enzymatic cleavage from glycoproteins can be labeled and electrophoresed to yield an oligosaccharide profile of each protein. AMAC can be used to distinguish unequivocally between acidic and neutral oligosaccharides. Methods of obtaining saccharide sequence information from purified oligosaccharides have been developed using enzymatic degradation. Other applications and the potential of the system are described.

High resolution slab gel electrophoresis of 8-amino-1,3, 6-pyrenetrisulfonic acid (APTS) tagged oligosaccharides using a DNA sequencer

A novel electrophoretic method for the analysis of oligosaccharides using DNA sequencer technology is illustrated using malto-oligosaccharide distributions obtained following isoamylase digestion of glycogen, wheat starch and potato starch. The debranched starches were derivatized at the reducing and with the charged fluorophore 8-amino-1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonic acid (APTS). This highly reproducible method provides baseline resolution of oligomers from chain lengths of 3 to more than 80 glucose units, and exhibits high sensitivity with detection thresholds of one femtomole per resolved band. In addition, the reductive amination procedure attaches a single fluorophore per oligosaccharide, allowing calculation of the results on either a mass or a molar basis. The efficacy of the method is illustrated through the determination of the profile of individual oligosaccharides of chain length with a degree of polymerization (DP) < 80, derived from loading less than 15 ng per analysis of glycogen, wheat and potato starches. While the results obtained were superior in resolution and sensitivity to previously reported observations using a range of techniques, they were nonetheless consistent with the overall differences between these polysaccharides. The resolution, sensitivity, reproducibility and high throughput of the method provides substantial advantages over existing methods for the analysis of linear oligosaccharide chain length distributions.

Fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis in the separation, analysis, and sequencing of carbohydrates

Carbohydrate analysis has traditionally been viewed as a specialty science, performed only in a few well-established laboratories using conventional carbohydrate analysis technology (e.g. NMR, gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis) combined with the specialized technical training that has been essential for accurate interpretation of the data. This tradition of specialized laboratories is changing, due primarily to an increase in the number of scientists performing routine carbohydrate analysis. As a result, many scientists who are not trained in traditional carbohydrate analytical techniques now need to be able to perform accurate carbohydrate analysis in their own laboratories. This has created a need for technically simple and inexpensive methods of carbohydrate analysis. In this review, we present application vignettes of a technically simple, yet analytically powerful method called fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE). FACE can be used for performing routine oligosaccharide profiling, monosaccharide analysis, and sequencing of a variety of carbohydrates.

Separation of neutral carbohydrates by capillary electrophoresis

The basic strategies for analysis of neutral carbohydrates by capillary electrophoresis are summarized. Neutral carbohydrates are dissociated in strong alkali to give anions, hence they can be separated directly by zone electrophoresis based on the difference between their dissociation constants. However, neutral carbohydrates are not electrically charged under normal conditions. Therefore, they should be converted to ions prior to or during analysis. Precapillary introduction of a basic or an acidic group to a neutral carbohydrate gives the derivative positive (in acidic media) or negative (in alkaline media) charge, respectively. The derivatives thus obtained can be separated by zone electrophoresis. Analysis of carbohydrates in a carrier containing an oxyacid salt (such as sodium borate) or an alkaline metal salt (such as calcium acetate) causes in situ conversion to anionic or cationic complexes, respectively, which are separated by zone electrophoresis. The effective uses of electrokinetic chromatography in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles for hydrophobic derivatives (such as 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone derivatives) and size-exclusion electrophoresis in gel-packed capillaries for size-different oligosaccharides are also discussed. Each separation mode has its inherent method(s) for detection, which are also described here.

Separation of negatively charged carbohydrates by capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has recently emerged as a highly promising technique consuming an extremely small amount of sample and capable of the rapid, high-resolution separation, characterization, and quantitation of analytes. CE has been used for the separation of biopolymers, including acidic carbohydrates. Since CE is basically an analytical method for ions, acidic carbohydrates that give anions in weakly acid, neutral, or alkaline media are often the direct objects of this method. The scope of this review is limited to the use of CE for the analysis of carbohydrates containing carboxylate, sulfate, and phosphate groups as well as neutral carbohydrates that have been derivatized to incorporate strongly acidic functionality, such as sulfonate groups.

Near-IR dyes in three-color volumetric capillary cytometry: cell analysis with 633- and 785-nm laser excitation

Several fluorescent dyes that absorb in the near-infrared are described. The photostability and aggregation properties of the dyes were examined. Two of the dyes, BHMP and BHDMAP, emit at 805 nm and were useful dyes for protein labeling. A dual-laser, three-color scanning instrument was constructed. CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ populations were enumerated in undiluted, whole blood based on the fluorescence of Cy5, Cy5.5 and BHMP.

Separation of hydroxyl protected heparin derived disaccharides using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple and efficient method for the separation of hydrophobic derivatives of glycosaminoglycan-derived disaccharides is described. Hydroxyl-protected derivatives of a trisulfated disaccharide, prepared from heparin using heparin lyase, were separated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. These disaccharide derivatives differed by the number, position, and stereochemistry of acetyl and pivaloyl groups. Separation was achieved on a C18 column using a reversed gradient of ammonium sulfate in water. This method has application in the purification of disaccharide derivatives being used as chiral synthons in the preparation of higher oligosaccharides.

Fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis technology and applications

Carbohydrates, in particular the complex carbohydrates conjugated to proteins and lipids, have important functions in a variety of biological systems. Their isolation and structural determination--prerequisites for elucidation of their biological functions--have been technical challenges for many decades. Almost all available chromatographic and electrophoretic methods as well as NMR and MS have been applied to carbohydrate analysis but none has proved satisfactory in terms of simplicity, sensitivity, reproducibility, cost and requirement for materials. Recently, a technique called fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis was developed which is very promising. It separates fluorescently-labeled carbohydrates on polyacrylamide gels and uses a charge-coupled device camera to detect and quantitate the products. This review describes the principles of the method and its applications to several aspects of research on carbohydrate-containing biological biomolecules.

Capillary zone electrophoresis of oligosaccharides derivatized with various aminonaphthalene sulfonic acids

Malto-oligosaccharides were derivatized via their reducing ends with different aminoaphthalene mono-, di- and trisulfonic acids by reductive amination. The derivatives were then separated by capillary zone electrophoresis in uncoated fused silica capillaries, using 50 mM triethylammonium phosphate buffer, pH 2.5, as running electrolyte. The effect of degree of charge on speed of analysis and resolution was studied for different aminonaphthalene mono-, di- and trisulfonic acids. Under the conditions used, a higher degree of charge on the derivatives provided both faster analyses and higher resolution. Investigation of the electrophoretic behavior of derivatized oligosaccharides obtained from bovine pancreatic ribonuclease B gave insight into the possibility of applying such electrophoretic systems to the analysis of more complex carbohydrates. The resolution of positional isomers under the conditions described indicated that the high resolving power of this technique allows separations not strictly based on the effects of charge and mass of the analytes, but on structural characteristics as well. The relationship between electrophoretic mobility and molecular structure was investigated for the different derivatives.

Capillary zone electrophoresis of derivatized acidic monosaccharides

A new and specific precolumn derivatization reaction for acidic monosaccharides was introduced and evaluated in the separation and sensitive detection of carbohydrates by capillary electrophoresis. The derivatization reaction involved the attachment of sulfanilic acid (a UV absorbing tag) or 7-amino-naphthalene-1,3-disulfonic acid (a UV absorbing and fluorescing tag) via a condensation reaction between the amino group of the derivatizing agent and the carboxyl group of the sugar in the presence of a water-soluble carbodiimide. The derivatization reaction replaced the weak carboxylic acid of the sugar by a strong sulfonic acid, which is fully ionized at all pH. This allowed the electrophoresis of the sugar derivatives over a wide pH range and permitted the determination of acidic carbohydrates at very low femtomole levels by UV and fluorescence detection.

Biotinylated diaminopyridine: an approach to tagging oligosaccharides and exploring their biology

Fluorescent tagging of free oligosaccharides by reductive amination permits sensitive detection and fractionation of these molecules. To expand the scope of this approach, we have synthesized a fluorescent reagent, 2-amino-(6-amidobiotinyl)pyridine. This reagent can tag oligosaccharides under nondegradative conditions with high efficiency. The resulting adducts show excellent fractionation by reverse-phase HPLC with sensitive detection in the low picomole range. When combined with sequential exoglycosidase digestion, stepwise sequencing of the sugar chains is possible. The biotinyl group can also be used to recover the sugar chain from reaction mixtures. The high-affinity interaction of the biotinyl group with multivalent avidin or streptavidin can be used to create the functional equivalent of neoglycoproteins carrying multiple copies of oligosaccharides of defined structure. These complexes allow the production of IgG antibodies directed against the oligosaccharide chain. They can also harness the power of (strept)avidin-biotin technology for the detection and isolation of oligosaccharide-specific receptors from native sources of recombinant libraries.