Application of partial-filling capillary electrophoresis using lectins and glycosidases for the characterization of oligosaccharides in a therapeutic antibody

Oligosaccharides in therapeutic recombinant antibodies play important roles in regulation of various biological functions. To monitor the glycosylation profiles of antibody pharmaceuticals in the manufacturing process, a highly sensitive and specific method is required. We extended partial-filling techniques using lectins and exoglycosidases in capillary electrophoresis for the characterization of 8-aminopylene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid labeled N-linked oligosaccharides derived from the therapeutic antibody rituximab. In the lectin-filling method, Galb1–4GlcNAc-specific Erythrina cristagali agglutinin, a1, 6-linked Fuc-specific Aleuria aurantia lectin and Neu5Aca2–3Gal-specific Maackia amurensis lectin were used. The oligosaccharides migrated through the lectin plug during separation; the changes in separation profiles were observed according to the interaction with the lectins. The glycosidase-filling method allowed rapid digestion as suggested by the electropherograms. Partial-filling CE methods can avoid tedious hands-on procedures such as overnight incubation and optimization reaction condition with lectins and exoglycosidases. Combination of these partial-filling capillary electrophoresis methods makes the characterization of oligosaccharide profiles of therapeutic antibodies easier and faster.     

Immobilized lectin columns: useful tools for the fractionation and structural analysis of oligosaccharides.

Elucidation of the binding specificity of a concanavalin A-Sepharose column led to the possibility of the affinity chromatography of oligosaccharides and glycopeptides with the use of immobilized lectin columns. Subsequent addition of immobilized erythroagglutinating phytohaemagglutinin, Aleuria aurantia lectin, Datura stramonium agglutinin, Ricinus communis agglutinin and Allomyrina dichotoma agglutinin to the range of well characterized lectin columns has afforded a way to fractionate a mixture of N-linked oligosaccharides even to a single component.     

Quantitative evaluation of lectin‐reactive glycoforms of α1‐acid glycoprotein using lectin affinity capillary electrophoresis with fluorescence detection

α₁‐Acid glycoprotein (AGP) was previously shown to be a marker candidate of disease progression and prognosis of patients with malignancies by analysis of its glycoforms via lectins. Herein, affinity capillary electrophoresis of fluorescein‐labeled AGP using lectins with the aid of laser‐induced fluorescence detection was developed for quantitative evaluation of the fractional ratios of concanavalin A‐reactive or Aleuria aurantia lectin‐reactive AGP. Labeled AGP was applied at the anodic end of a fused‐silica capillary (50 μm id, 360 μm od, 27 cm long) coated with linear polyacryloyl‐β‐alanyl‐β‐alanine, and electrophoresis was carried out for about 10 min in 60 mM 3‐morpholinopropane‐1‐sulfonic acid‐NaOH buffer (pH 7.35). Addition of the lectins to the anode buffer resulted in the separation of lectin‐reactive glycoform peaks from lectin‐non‐reactive glycoform peaks. Quantification of the peak area of each group revealed that the percent of lectin‐reactive AGP is independent of a labeling ratio ranging from 0.4 to 1.5 mol fluorescein/mol AGP, i.e. the standard deviation of 0.5% for an average of 59.9% (n=3). In combination with a facile procedure for micro‐purification of AGP from serum, the present procedure, marking the reactivity of AGP with lectins, should be useful in determining the prognosis for a large number of patients with malignancies.     

Analysis of glycoprotein-derived oligosaccharides in glycoproteins detected on two-dimensional gel by capillary electrophoresis using on-line concentration method

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is an effective tool to analyze carbohydrate mixture derived from glycoproteins with high resolution. However, CE has a disadvantage that a few nanoliters of a sample solution are injected to a narrow capillary. Therefore, we have to prepare a sample solution of high concentration for CE analysis. In the present study, we applied head column field-amplified sample stacking method to the analysis of N-linked oligosaccharides derived from glycoprotein separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Model studies demonstrated that we achieved 60-360 times concentration effect on the analysis of carbohydrate chains labeled with 3-aminobenzoic acid (3-AA). The method was applied to the analysis of N-linked oligosaccharides from glycoproteins separated and detected on PAGE gel. Heterogeneity of alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), i.e. glycoforms, was examined by 2D-PAGE and N-linked oligosaccharides were released by in-gel digestion with PNGase F. The released oligosaccharides were derivatized with 3-AA and analyzed by CE. The results showed that glycoforms having lower pI values contained a larger amount of tetra- and tri-antennary oligosaccharides. In contrast, glycoforms having higher pI values contained bi-antennary oligosaccharides abundantly. The result clearly indicated that the spot of a glycoprotein glycoform detected by Coomassie brilliant blue staining on 2D-PAGE gel is sufficient for quantitative profiling of oligosaccharides.     

Determination of the association constant of monovalent mode protein-sugar interaction by capillary zone electrophoresis.

Protein-sugar interaction was observed by capillary zone electrophoresis, using a few beta-galactose-specific lectins and lactobionic acid as protein and sugar models, respectively. The lectin peaks were retarded in a concentration-dependent manner by addition of lactobionic acid in a carrier, and association constants of monovalent mode interactions could be obtained from t1 (migration time of protein), t2 (migration time of complex, obtainable as the migration time at the plateau) and the slope of the (t-t1)-1 vs. [S]-1 plots, where t and [S] are the migration of protein in the presence of lactobionic acid and the concentration of lactobionic acid, respectively. The values for Ricinus communis agglutinin, peanut agglutinin and soy bean agglutinin at pH 6.8 were 3.3 . 10(3), 9.1 . 10(2) and 1.1 . 10(2)1 mol-1, respectively. This method required only small amounts of protein samples and was reproducible. The amount of the sugar could be minimized under the conditions that the carrier was a buffer containing the sugar whereas the electrode solutions consisted only of the buffer.     

Affinity chromatography with monolithic capillary columns. II. Polymethacrylate monoliths with immobilized lectins for the separation of glycoconjugates by nano-liquid affinity chromatography

Monolithic capillary columns with surface bound lectin affinity ligands were introduced for performing lectin affinity chromatography (LAC) by nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC). Two kinds of polymethacrylate monoliths were prepared, namely poly(glycidyl methacrylateco-ethylene dimethacrylate) and poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate-co-[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethyl ammonium chloride) to yield neutral and cationic macroporous polymer, respectively. Two lectins including concanavalin (Con A) and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) were immobilized onto the monolithic capillary columns. The neutral monoliths with immobilized lectins exhibited lower permeability under pressure driven flow than the cationic monoliths indicating that the latter had wider flow-through pores than the former. Both types of monoliths with immobilized lectins exhibited strong affinity toward particular glycoproteins and their oligosaccharide chains (i.e., glycans) having sugar sequences recognizable by the lectin. Due to the strong binding affinity, the monoliths with surface bound lectins allowed the injection of relatively large volume (i.e., several column volumes) of dilute samples of glycoproteins and glycans thus allowing the concentration of the glycoconjugates and their subsequent isolation and detection at low levels (approximately 10(-8) M). To further exploit the lectin monoliths in the isolation of glycoconjugates, two-dimensional separation schemes involving LAC in the first dimension and reversed-phase nano-LC in the second dimension were introduced. The various interrelated methods established in this investigation are expected to play a major role in advancing the sciences of "nano-glycomics".     

Separation of mistletoe lectins based on the degree of glycosylation using boronate affinity chromatography

A mixture of two mistletoe lectins (MLs) has been separated according to the degree of glycosylation using boronate affinity chromatography. The mistletoe lectins, mistletoe lectin I (MLI) and mistletoe lectin III (MLIII) with degrees of glycosylation of 6.1 and 3.8%, respectively, were used in the investigation. MLI exhibited a higher retention time than MLIII due to its higher degree of glycosylation. Separation was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The developed method may lead to new applications for the boronate affinity technique, as well as provide an alternative separation method for MLs.     

Chemiluminescent Detection of Carbohydrates in the Tumoral Breast Diseases

Nowadays, there is an increase of investigations into the fibroadenoma, mainly because some studies have shown that the occurrence of fibroadenoma is linked to an increased risk of developing breast carcinoma. Currently, the chemiluminescence biomarkers are applied for validation methods and screening. Here, a lectin chemiluminescence is proposed as new histochemistry method to identify carbohydrates in mammary tumoral tissues. The lectins concanavalin A (Con A) and peanut agglutinin (PNA) conjugated to acridinium ester were used to characterize the glycocode of breast tissues: normal, fibroadenoma, and invasive duct carcinoma (IDC). The lectin chemiluminescence expressed in relative light units (RLU) was higher in fibroadenoma and IDC than in normal tissue for both lectins tested. The relationship RLU emission versus tissue area described a linear and hyperbolic curve for IDC and fibroadenoma, respectively, using Con A whereas hyperbolic curves for both transformed tissues using PNA. RLU was abolished by inhibiting the interaction between tissues and lectins using their specific carbohydrates: methyl-α-d-mannoside (Con A) and galactose (PNA). The intrinsic fluorescence emission did not change with combination of the lectins (Con A/PNA) to the acridinium ester for hydrophobic residues. These results represent the lectin chemiluminescence as an alternative of histochemistry method for tumoral diagnosis in the breast.     

寡糖的毛细管电泳分析

多种寡糖经α－萘胺衍生化后，用硼砂作为电泳介质，实现了高效毛细管电泳分离。比较了毛细管区带电泳和胶束毛细管电动色谱分离寡糖α－萘胺衍生物的电泳行为，对影响分离度的诸因素进行了考察，选择了最佳分离条件。     

Separation of 2-aminobenzoic acid-derivatized glycosaminoglycans and asparagine-linked glycans by capillary electrophoresis.

A capillary electrophoresis method was developed for the analysis of oligosaccharides combined with derivatization with 2-aminobenzoic acid. Glycosaminoglycan delta-disaccharides were effectively resolved on a fused-silica capillary tube using 150 mM borate, pH 8.5, as a running electrolyte solution. This analytical method was applied to the identification of glycosaminoglycan in combination with enzymatic digestion. The separation of N-glycans or glucose-oligomers was performed with a phosphate buffer containing polyethylene glycol or borate as an electrolyte solution. This method is expected to be useful in the determination of oligosaccharide structures in a glycoprotein.     

琼脂糖凝胶CL-6B亲和色谱法一步纯化蚯蚓半乳凝素

环节动物的S型凝集素在结构和生化性质上都有别于一般的S型凝集素,其在抗癌等研究方面的潜在价值重大。根据环节动物S型凝集素的性质,采用惰性分子筛填料Sepharose CL-6B（琼脂糖凝胶CL-6B）作为亲和色谱介质对蚯蚓S型凝集素进行了纯化。以2 mmol/L乙二胺四乙酸（EDTA）-MEPBS (4 mmol/L β-巯基乙醇,150 mmol/L NaCl,20 mmol/L 磷酸盐,pH 7.2)溶液作为平衡液,以氨水(150 mmol/L,pH 10.5)作为洗脱液得到的蛋白质经SDS-PAGE（十二烷基硫酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳）、凝血实验及荧光检测等证明了其即为蚯蚓S型凝集素。该方法只需一个步骤即可从蚯蚓提取液中分离到纯的S型凝集素,比传统方法更加快捷高效,优越性明显。该方法的应用将有利于对环节动物S型凝集素的深入研究。     

Interaction of lectins withYersinia pestis strains

The ability of lectins to interact with Yersinia pestis strains isolated from rodent fleas and human biological fluids, obtained from different geographic areas, was examined. Lectins of Canavalia ensiformis, Ulex europaeus, Phaseolus vulgaris, and Triticum vulgaris, as well as a new autochthonous lectin of Swartzia pickellii of undefined specificity, were used. Most of the Y. pestis strains did not agglutinate with U. europaeus or C. ensiformis lectin. However, P. vulgaris lectin agglutinated suspensions of all the bacillus strains used. Fifteen of the 19 strains tested positive for assays using S. pickellii lectin. It is believed this is the first report of Y. pestis strain agglutination by lectins. A similar agglutination pattern was obtained for lectins with specificity for oligosaccharides containing N-acetylglucosamine and S. pickellii lectin, which did bind to the affinity matrix chitin, a polysaccharide of N-acetylglucosamine. The use of bacterial strains and commercial lectins of defined specificity may be an approach to providing evidence about the lectin binding sites of undefined monosaccharide specificity.     

Sugar binding specificities of anti-H(O) lectins disclosed by use of fucose-containing human milk oligosaccharides as binding inhibitors

The binding to normal and sialidase-treated human erythrocytes of six 125I-labeled lectins [Ulex europeus lectin I (UEA-1) and II (UEA-II), Laburnum alpinum lectins I (LAA-I) and II (LAA-II), and Cytisus multiflorus lectins I (CMA-I) and II (CMA-II)], was studied in detail. Quantitative inhibition assays of the lectin binding to the cells were also performed with various human milk oligosaccharides as inhibitors. Based on a comparison of the inhibition constants of the inhibitors thus obtained with the association constants of the lectins to the cells, the relative activities of cell surface blood group antigens toward the lectins are discussed.     

A study of glycoprotein-lectin interactions using quartz crystal microbalance

A study of biospecific interactions between lectins and glycoproteins using a quartz crystal microbalance biosensor with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) was reported. Four lectins were covalently immobilised on the thiol-modified gold electrode of the QCM chips in order to obtain sensing surfaces. The frequency shift served as analytical signal and the dissipation shift provided additional information about the viscoelastic properties of the glycoprotein-lectin complex formed on the surface of the QCM chip. The working conditions of the assay were optimised. The interaction between different lectins and glycoproteins was characterised by specific frequency shifts and each glycoprotein displayed its own unique lectin-binding pattern. This lectin pattern can serve as a finger print for the discrimination between various glycoproteins. The biosensor enabled quantitative determination of glycoproteins in the concentration range of 50 μg mL⁻¹ to 1 mg mL⁻¹ with good linearity and R.S.D. of less than 6.0%. An additional advantage of the proposed biosensor was the possibility to re-use the same lectin surfaces during a long period of time (2 month) without changes in analytical response. This was experimentally achieved by the application of a proper regeneration solution (10 mM glycine-HCl, pH 2.5). The lectin-based quartz crystal microbalance technique is suitable both for rapid screening and for quantitative assay of serum glycoproteins.     

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.     

Microchip electrophoresis of oligosaccharides using lectin-immobilized preconcentrator gels fabricated by in situ photopolymerization

A lectin-impregnated gel was fabricated at the channel crossing point in a microfluidic chip made from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The acrylamide containing lectin was photopolymerized to form a round gel (radius 60 μm) by irradiation with an argon laser, which was also used for fluorometric detection. This gel was applied to specific concentration, elution, and electrophoretic separation of fluorescent-labeled oligosaccharides. Because the lectin in the polyacrylamide gel was mechanically immobilized, it maintained its activity. The lectin was used to trap up to a few tens of femtomoles of specific oligosaccharides labeled with 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid with 2 min by a factor >800, and the amount trapped corresponded to ca. 70% of lectin in the gel. The trapped oligosaccharides were released from the gel by lowering the pH with an acidic background electrolyte. The oligosaccharides that eluted as a broad band were concentrated by transient isotachophoresis stacking using concentrated sodium borate buffer (pH 11.0). The stacked sample components were then separated and fluorometrically detected at the end of the separation channel. Under the optimized conditions, resolution of the saccharides was good, and was similar to that obtained by pinched injection. The method was applied to preconcentration and analysis of oligosaccharides derived from some glycoproteins.     

Purification of human erythrocytes specific lectins from rice bean, Phaseolus calcaratus syn. Vigna umbellata, by high-performance liquid chromatography

Two lectins, an N-acetylgalactosamine-binding lectin, lectin-I, which reacts specifically with human erythrocytes of blood group A, and a galactose-binding lectin, lectin-II, which is specific for human blood group B erythrocytes, have been isolated and purified from rice bean, Phaseolus calcaratus syn. Vigna umbellata, by a salt solubility pH-dependent method, chromatofocusing and high-performance liquid chromatography. The homogeneity of the lectins was determined by liquid chromatography and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified lectin-I of molecular mass 80,000 is possibly composed of two subunits of molecular mass ca. 18,000 and 22,000, respectively, whereas lectin-II of molecular mass 100,000 appears to be composed of a monomeric protein of molecular mass 25,000. One endogenous lectin-binding protein was also isolated and purified by liquid chromatography. The endogenous lectin-binding protein of molecular mass 40,000 affects the activity of the A-group specific lectin more than that of the B-group specific lectin. The endogenous lectin-binding protein appears to be composed of a monomeric protein of molecular mass 20,000.     

Two-dimensional lectin affinity electrophoresis of alpha-fetoprotein: characterization of erythroagglutinating phytohemagglutinin-dependent microheterogeneity forms

By means of two-dimensional lectin affinity electrophoresis of human alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) from different sources, AFP bands separated with erythroagglutinating phytohemagglutinin (E-PHA) were further characterized with other lectins of known oligosaccharide specificities. The results with a cord serum AFP revealed that not only AFP-P2 (E-PHA-nonreactive) but also AFP-P4 and P5 (E-PHA-reactive) had affinities for Concanavalin A (Con A) and Allomyrina dichotoma lectin (allo A), indicating that the cord serum AFP has nonbisected biantennary complex-type oligosaccharides with the terminal galactose on Man alpha 1----6 residue sialylated at the C-6, but not C-3, position. On the other hand, the results with a hepatoblastoma (HUH-6 C1-5 cell line) AFP showed that not only AFP-P5 but also AFP-P1 (E-PHA-nonreactive) and P3 (E-PHA-less reactive) had Con A-nonreactive AFP and that AFP-P1 had AFP-A1 (allo A-nonreactive) and AFP-A2 (allo A-less reactive), and AFP-P3 and P4 had AFP-A1s (allo A-nonreactive), as main components, in addition to the spots of cord serum AFP. Most of the E-PHA-dependent bands of AFP were further subdivided with Lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA-A) into LCA-A-reactive, weakly reactive and nonreactive spots. Similar results were obtained with AFP preparations from hepatocellular carcinomas and other malignancies, indicating that the bisected bi-(or tri- and tetra-) antennary sugar chains with the exposed terminal galactose of the Man alpha 1----6 arm as well as those with the C-3 sialylated galactose residues could be expressed in AFP upon malignant transformation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

麦胚凝集素亲和色谱富集糖肽过程中的肽键裂解

蛋白质的糖基化是最重要的翻译后修饰之一,与蛋白质结构和功能的关系密切。凝集素亲和色谱是蛋白质糖基化研究中很常用的工具,不同的凝集素可以对不同的单糖或寡糖有特异的富集作用。麦胚凝集素（WGA）由于其特异作用的糖型广泛存在而成为使用最多的凝集素之一。在本研究中,发现将WGA用于糖肽亲和富集会导致部分肽段的降解,从而导致后续的肽段序列分析的失败。本文用4种标准蛋白质对这种现象进行了验证,结果表明肽段的降解可以发生在多个位点,其中较多地发生在酪氨酸、苯丙氨酸及亮氨酸的羧基端。这一结果提示：在糖蛋白质组研究中,如果应用WGA富集糖肽并采用质谱进行鉴定,则采用半酶切或非特异性酶切的检索策略更为合适。     

Synthesis of Homo- and Heterofunctionalized Glycoclusters and Binding to Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lectins PA-IL and PA-IIL

Homo- and heterofunctionalized glycoclusters with galactose and/or fucose residues targeting both PA-IL and PA-IIL lectins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were synthesized using "Click" chemistry and DNA chemistry. Their binding to lectins (separately or in a mixture) was studied using a DNA Directed Immobilization carbohydrate microarray. Homoglycoclusters bind selectively to their lectin while the heteroglycocluster binds simultaneously both lectins with a slight lower affinity.