Identification and analysis of alpha1,6-fucosylated proteins in human normal liver tissues by a target glycoproteomic approach

alpha1,6-Fucose residues within the N-glycan core structures were commonly observed in many glycoproteins. Our previous studies showed that aberrantly alpha1,6-fucosylated glycoproteins might be associated with metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Little is known about human normal liver tissues (HNLTs) in the literatures. In this study, a target glycoproteomic approach which consists of lectin-affinity chromatography, 2-DE, protein immunoprecipitation and lectin blot, and MALDI-MS/MS, was utilized to screen physiologically alpha1,6-fucosylated glycoproteins. Lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA)-affinity glycoprotein profiles of HNLT were established and analyzed, which allowed identification of 53 proteins by MS analysis, including haptoglobin precursor, alpha-enolase, etc. Gene ontology (GO) annotation proved that these proteins distribute predominately in organelle and play crucial roles in binding and catalytic reactions. The present methodology enabled the identification of all the specific subsets of glycoprotein, and the corresponding data could contribute to the finding of more aberrantly alpha1,6-fucosylated glycoproteins related to liver diseases.