Measurement of neutral sugars in glycoproteins as dansyl derivatives by automated high-performance liquid chromatography

Automated high-performance liquid chromatography was used to analyse dansylhydrazine derivatives of neutral sugars in unfractionated acid hydrolysates of four well-characterized glycoproteins: fetuin, ovalbumin, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein and bovine submaxillary mucin. After a simple single-step derivatization at 65 degrees C the sugar derivatives in protein hydrolysates chromatographed as single peaks on reversed-phase C18 columns. The isocratic solvent consisted of 20% (v/v) aqueous acetonitrile containing 0.01 M formic acid, 0.04 M acetic acid and 0.001 M triethylamine. The triethylamine significantly increases the sugar peak height at 254 nm. Repeated automatic sample injection without deterioration of column performance or interference from dansyl hydrazine is not possible with published methods, but was achieved by cleaning the column between each analysis with a solvent of 20% (v/v) acetonitrile and 80% (v/v) methanol. Hydrolysis with 2 M trifluoroacetic acid is superior to 2 M hydrochloric acid for both sugar recovery and convenience but must continue for 6-8 h at 105 degrees C to ensure complete sugar release. We confirmed that mannose is present in most preparations of human high-molecular-weight salivary glycoproteins, and also examined purified bovine skin proteodermatan sulphate. p-Nitrophenylhydrazine derivatives of neutral sugars are readily produced, but do not chromatograph as successfully as the dansyl derivatives while phenylhydrazine derivatives are not easily produced at 65 degrees C. Further development of the method should be possible by producing other hydrazine derivatives of neutral sugars.     

Liquid chromatographic method for the determination of the carbohydrate moiety of glycoproteins. Application to alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and tissue plasminogen activator.

A rapid procedure is described for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the carbohydrate composition of glycoproteins by liquid chromatography with light-scattering detection. The analysis was carried out in three steps. First, the glycoprotein samples were purified by a two-step purification on a Sephadex G-25 column with a 90% yield. Second, the selectivity of the separation and the sensitivity of detection of monosaccharides, as methyl glycosides obtained by direct methanolysis of glycoproteins, were improved by modified simplex optimization of the methanolysis parameters (temperature, methanolic hydrochloric acid strength and reaction time) determined at 66 degrees C, 1.2 M and 8.1 h for alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (alpha-AGP) and 73 degrees C, 1.5 M and 12.5 h for tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Finally, the method was applied to the determination of the carbohydrate moiety of the two N-glycosylated glycoproteins alpha-AGP and tPA.     

Isotope tag method for quantitative analysis of carbohydrates by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

We have previously demonstrated that liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry equipped with a graphitized carbon column (GCC-LC/MS) is useful for the structural analysis of carbohydrates in a glycoprotein. Here, we studied the monosaccharide composition analysis and quantitative oligosaccharide profiling by GCC-LC/MS. Monosaccharides were labeled with 2-aminopyridine and then separated and monitored by GCC-LC/MS in the selective ion mode. The use of tetradeuterium-labeled pyridylamino (d4-PA) monosaccharides as internal standards, which were prepared by the tagging of standard monosaccharides with hexadeuterium-labeled 2-aminopyridine (d6-AP), afforded a good linearity and reproducibility in ESIMS analysis. This method was successfully applied to the monosaccharide composition analysis of model glycoproteins, fetuin, and erythropoietin. For quantitative oligosaccharide profiling, oligosaccharides released from an analyte and a standard glycoprotein were tagged with d0- and d6-AP, respectively, and an equal amount of d0- and d4-PA oligosaccharides were coinjected into GCC-LC/MS. In this procedure, the oligosaccharides that existed in either analyte or a standard glycoprotein appeared as single ions, and the oligosaccharides that existed in both analyte and a standard glycoprotein were detected as paired ions. The relative amount of analyte oligosaccharides could be determined on the basis of the analyte/internal standard ion-pair intensity ratio. The quantitative oligosaccharide profiling enabled us to make a quantitative and qualitative comparison of glycosylation between the analyte and standard glycoproteins. The isotope tag method can be applicable for quality control and comparability assessment of glycoprotein products as well as the analysis of glycan alteration in some diseases.     

Compositional monosaccharide analysis of transgenic corn glycoproteins by HPLC with fluorescence detection and LC-MS with sonic spray ionization

Transgenic corn offers an attractive, cost-effective means for the large-scale production of engineered glycoproteins suitable for pharmaceutical purposes. A glycoprotein expressed in transgenic corn theoretically should not contain glycans because glycosylation sites have been genetically altered. A sensitive and reliable analytical method is developed to investigate this particular protein for the presence of glycans by monitoring the monosaccharide composition. Identification and quantitation of low-level monosaccharides in the glycoprotein hydrolyzate are accomplished by derivatization prior to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-fluorescence and liquid chromatography (LC)-sonic spray ionization (SSI)-mass spectrometry (MS) analyses. LC-SSI-MS is used to confirm the results from HPLC-fluorescence analysis and to positively identify the compositional monosaccharides. Glucosamine, glucose, mannose, arabinose, xylose, and sialic acid are found in the transgenic corn derived glycoprotein at less than one moiety per protein, which indicates heterogeneity of the particular glycoprotein. In addition to the compositional analysis of low-level monosaccharides in glycoprotein by HPLC-fluorescence, the utility of SSI for the LC-MS analysis of derivatized monosaccharides is demonstrated in this paper.     

基于Endo-M N175Q糖链转移反应与丙酮富集糖肽的LC-MS分析糖蛋白N-糖链

基于化学酶标记和丙酮富集糖肽方法,建立了一种可靠、有效、简单的糖蛋白N-糖链分析方法。以唾液酸糖肽(SGP)为模型糖肽,比较了样品中丙酮加入量对SGP的富集效果,最终选择加入样品体积5倍量的丙酮。用丙酮富集经胰蛋白处理的核糖核酸酶B(RNase B)酶解液中的糖肽,以富集分离得到的糖肽(糖基供体)和PDPZ-Boc-Asn-GlcNAc(糖基受体)作为酶反应底物,进行Endo-M N175Q的转糖基反应,得到PDPZBoc-Asn-GlcNAc-N-糖链标记物。采用YMC C18色谱柱为分析柱,10 mmol/L甲酸铵-乙腈为流动相梯度洗脱,经液相色谱-串联质谱(LC-MS)检测得到5种高甘露糖型糖链。结果表明,丙酮可有效地富集大量肽和少量糖肽混合溶液中的糖肽,Endo-M N175Q可将天然糖肽的糖链转移到PDPZ-Boc-Asn-GlcNAc受体上。将该方法应用于胎球蛋白N-糖链分析,检测到5种复杂型N-糖链。该研究为各种糖蛋白N-糖链检测提供了新的分析方法。     

Sensitive determination of rhodamine 110-labeled monosaccharides in glycoprotein by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

Rhodamine 110 (Rho110) has been used in the highly sensitive analysis of monosaccharides, as it reacts with the reducing carbonyl group of the saccharides. The monosaccharide derivatives were investigated by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection. The derivatization was performed at 90 °C for 30 min for all monosaccharides. The derivatized monosaccharides were separated using 200 mM borate (pH 10.5) as running buffer within 20 min. The fluorescence intensities of Rho110-derivatives were significantly decreased by the presence of excess reducing agent, but were greatly increased by the addition of potassium hexacyanoferrate(III). The concentration and mass detection limits for monosaccharides were in the range of 1.4–2.8 nM and 36–70 amol, respectively. We have applied this derivatization method to the analysis of the composition of monosaccharides in glycoproteins (ribonuclease B, fetuin, and erythropoietin) following their subjection to strong acid hydrolysis. The results from these analyses were in good agreements with the reported values established previously.     

Rhodamine B amine as a highly sensitive fluorescence derivatization reagent for saccharides in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

6-Rhodamine B amine functions as a highly sensitive fluorescence derivatization reagent for mono- and oligosaccharides; it reacts with the reducing end of saccharides under acidic conditions. The fluorescent derivatives of five monosaccharides can be separated within 25 min by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with isocratic elution. The detection limits (S/N = 3) for mono-, di-, and oligosaccharides are 7-51, 13, and 9-35 fmol/20 microl injection, which correspond to analyte concentrations of 35-255, 65, 45-175 nM, respectively. We have applied this derivatization method successfully to the analysis of the components of oligosaccharides in glycoproteins (ribonuclease B and fetuin) following their acidic or enzymatic hydrolysis. The results from these analyses are in good agreements with the reported values established previously.     

Quantification of monosaccharides through multiple‐reaction monitoring liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry using an aminopropyl column

A simple, sensitive, and reproducible quantitative liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method was designed for the simultaneous quantification of monosaccharides derived from glycoprotein and blood serum using a multiple‐reaction monitoring (MRM) approach. Sialic acids and neutral monosaccharides were efficiently separated using an amino‐bonded silica phase column. Neutral monosaccharide molecules were detected as their aldol acetate anion adducts [M + CH₃CO₂]^? using electrospray ionization in negative ion MRM mode, while sialic acids were detected as deprotonated ions [M–H]^?. The new method did not require a reduction step, and exhibited very high sensitivity to carbohydrates with limits of detection of 1 pg for the sugars studied. The linearity of the described approach spanned over three orders of magnitude (pg to ng). The method was validated for monosaccharides originating from N‐linked glycans attached to glycoproteins and glycoproteins found in human blood serum. The method effectively quantified monosaccharides originating from as little as 1 µg of glycoprotein and 5 µL of blood serum. The method was robust, reproducible, and highly sensitive. It did not require reduction, derivatization or postcolumn addition of reagents. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Capillary electrophoresis/electrospray ion trap mass spectrometry for the analysis of negatively charged derivatized and underivatized glycans.

The increasing interest in the development of glycoproteins for therapeutic purposes has created a greater demand for methods to characterize the sugar moieties bound to them. Traditionally, released carbohydrates are derivatized using such methods as permethylation or fluorescent tagging prior to analysis by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), capillary electrophoresis (CE), or direct infusion mass spectrometry. However, little research has been performed using CE with on-line mass spectrometry (MS) detection. The CE separation of neutral oligosaccharides requires the covalent attachment of a charged species for electrophoretic migration. Among charged labels which have shown promise in assisting CE and HPLC separation is the fluorophore 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (ANTS). This report describes the qualitative profiling of charged ANTS-derivatized and underivatized complex glycans by CE with on-line electrospray ion trap mass spectrometry. Several neutral standard glycans including a maltooligosaccharide ladder were derivatized with ANTS and subjected to CE/UV and CE/MS using low pH buffers consisting of citric and 6-aminocaproic acid salts. The ANTS-derivatized species were detected as negative ions, and multiple stage MS analysis provided valuable structural information. Fragment ions were easily identified, showing promise for the identification of unknowns. N-Linked glycans released from bovine fetuin were used to demonstrate the applicability of ANTS derivatization followed by CE/MS for the analysis of negatively charged glycans. Analyses were performed on both underivatized and ANTS-derivatized species, and sialylated glycans were separated and detected in both forms. The ability of the ion trap mass spectrometer to perform multiple stage analysis was exploited, with MS5 information obtained on selected glycans. This technique presents a complementary method to existing methodologies for the profiling of glycan mixtures.     

A novel condition for capillary electrophoretic analysis of reductively aminated saccharides without removal of excess reagents

We have identified novel CE conditions for the separation of 7‐amino‐4‐methylcoumarin‐labeled monosaccharides and oligosaccharides from glycoproteins. Using a neutrally coated capillary and alkaline borate buffer containing hydroxypropylcellulose and ACN, saccharide derivatives form anionic borate complexes, which move from the cathode to the anode in an electric field and are detected near the anodic end. Excess labeling reagents and other fluorescent products remain at the cathodic end. Fluorimetric detection using an LED as a light source enables determination of monosaccharide derivatives with good linearity between at least 0.4 and 400 μM, may correspond to 140 amol to 140 fmol. The lower LOD (S/N = 5) is only 80 nM in the sample solution (ca. 28 amol). The results were comparable to reported values using fluorometric detection LC. The method was also applied to the analysis of oligosaccharides that were enzymatically released from glycoproteins. Fine resolution enables profiling of glycans in glycoproteins. The applicability of the method was examined by applying it to other derivatives labeled with nonacidic tags such as ethyl p‐aminobenzoate‐ and 2‐aminoacridone‐labeled saccharides.     

Separation of monosaccharides by hydrophilic interaction chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) was used to separate monosaccharides that are common in N-linked oligosaccharides in glycoproteins and other compounds. A TSKgel Amide-80 column was eluted with 82% acetonitrile, in 5 mM ammonium formate (pH 5.5). Column temperature was 60 degrees C and evaporative light scattering was used for detection (ELSD). With this method, L-fucose, D-galactose, D-mannose, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, N-acetylneuraminic acid, and D-glucuronic acid were separated, with detection limits of 0.3-0.5 microg for each monosaccharide, and intermediate precisions were 3-6% RSD (n=6).     

13C-sialic acid labeling of glycans on glycoproteins using ST6Gal-I

Glycans that are either N-linked to asparagine or O-linked to serine or threonine are the hallmark of glycoproteins, a class of protein that dominates the mammalian proteome. These glycans perform important functions in cells and in some cases are required for protein activity. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying glycan structure and interactions, particularly in a form that exploits heteronuclei such as 13C. Here an approach is presented that that uses alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase (ST6Gal-I) to enzymatically add 13C-N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuAc or sialic acid) to glycoproteins after their preparation using nonbacterial hosts. ST6Gal-I is itself a glycoprotein, and in this initial application, labeling of its own glycans and observation of these glycans by NMR are illustrated. The catalytic domain from rat ST6Gal-I was expressed in mammalian HEK293 cells. The glycans from the two glycosylation sites were analyzed with mass spectrometry and found to contain sialylated biantennary structures. The isotopic labeling approach involved removal of the native NeuAc residues from ST6Gal-I with neuraminidase, separation of the neuramindase with a lectin affinity column, and addition of synthesized 13C-CMP-NeuAc to the desialylated ST6Gal-I. Chemical shift dispersion due to the various 13C-NeuAc adducts on ST6Gal-I was observed in a 3D experiment correlating 1H-13C3-13C2 atoms of the sugar ring.     

Ionization and fragmentation of N-linked glycans as silver adducts by electrospray mass spectrometry

[M+Ag]+ ions were produced by electrospray from neutral high-mannose, hybrid and complex N-linked glycans obtained from bovine ribonuclease, chicken egg glycoproteins, bovine fetuin and porcine thyroglobulin by the addition of silver nitrate to the electrospray solvent. Both singly and doubly charged ions were produced but, as the signals were split between the two silver isotopes, sensitivity was not as high as with the sodium adducts reported earlier. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) spectra were dominated by ions produced by glycosidic cleavages, mainly of the B- and Y-type. Internal cleavage ions involving both B and Y cleavages were very prominent but cross-ring fragments were generally of very low abundance or absent. Silver was very efficient at cleaving the glycosidic bonds, so much so that spectra tended to contain glycosidic ions at most possible combinations of the constituent monosaccharides.     

A general approach for the purification and quantitative glycomic analysis of human plasma

The development of a general method for the purification and quantitative glycomic analysis of human plasma samples to characterize global glycosylation changes shall be presented. The method involves multiple steps, including the depletion of plasma via multi-affinity chromatography to remove high abundant proteins, the enrichment of the lower abundant glycoproteins via multi-lectin affinity chromatography, the isotopic derivatization of released glycans, and quantitative analysis by MALDI-TOF MS. Isotopic derivatization of glycans is accomplished using the well-established chemistry of reductive amination to derivatize glycans with either a light analog (¹²C anthranilic acid) or a heavy analog (¹³C₇ anthranilic acid), which allows for the direct comparison of the alternately labeled glycans by MALDI-TOF MS. The method displays a tenfold linear dynamic range for both neutral and sialylated glycans with sub-picomolar sensitivity. Additionally, by using anthranilic acid, a very sensitive fluorophore, as the derivatization reagent, the glycans can be analyzed by chromatography with fluorescence detection. The utility of this methodology is highlighted by the many diseases and disorders that are known to either show or be the result of changes in glycosylation. A method that provides a generic approach for sample preparation and quantitative data will help to further advance the field of glycomics.     

Characterization of derivatization of sialic acid with 2-aminoacridone and determination of sialic acid content in glycoproteins by capillary electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography--ion trap mass spectrometry.

A simple and highly sensitive capillary electrophoresis (CE) method for determining the content of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) in glycoproteins was developed. Neu5Ac was derivatized with 2-aminoacridone (AMAC) by reductive amination, and the AMAC-Neu5Ac adduct could be readily separated from the other 11 AMAC-derivatized neutral and acidic monosaccharides usually present in glycoproteins by CE in a 0.3 mol/L borate buffer, pH 10.5, and detected at 260 nm. The derivatization of Neu5Ac was achieved at 55 degrees C for 4 h. AMAC-Neu5Ac was stable at 20 degrees C in the dark for at least 12 h while at room temperature it spontaneously converted into another substance with a lower electrophoretic mobility, which was identified as decarboxylated AMAC-Neu5Ac by high performance liquid chromatography - ion trap mass spectrometry (HPLC-ITMS). Concentration and mass of Neu5Ac as low as 1 micromol/L and 35 fmol could be detected. The linear correlation coefficient between the ratio of peak area to migration time of AMAC-Neu5Ac and the concentration of Neu5Ac ranging from 10 to 120 micromol/L was 0.9978 (n=8). This method was successfully applied to the analysis of sialic acid in human urinary trypsin inhibitor (hu-UTI), bovine alpha1-acid glycoprotein (alpha1-AGP) and recombinant human erythropoietin (rhu-EPO). By combination of CE and HPLC-ITMS we found that N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) was present in bovine alpha1-AGP in addition to Neu5Ac, with a quantity comparable to that of the latter.     

Separation of Reducing Oligosaccharides Derived from Glycoproteins on Stable Polymeric HPLC Packings

Abstract

A multidimensional high performance liquid chromatographic approach has been designed to purify and isolate oligosaccharides derived from glycoproteins prior to structure elucidation. After release by chemical or enzymatic means, crude oligosaccharide mixtures can be fractionated into acidic and neutral glycans by using a stable polymeric anion exchange column, Glyco-Pak DEAE. Acidic fractions can be further separated on the same column by changing mobile phase selectivity. Neutral oligosaccharides are resolved using partition mode chromatography first on a silica-based Carbohydrate Analysis column followed by a hydroxylated polymeric Glyco-Pak N column. Crude mixtures containing only neutral glycans can be resolved directly on Glyco-Pak N. These stable polymeric columns do not shed packing materials which may interfere with post-column structural analyses such as NMR. This multicolumn strategy is demonstrated by using acidic and neutral oligosaccharides derived from hydrazinolysis of fetuin and ovomucoid respectively and by using high mannose compounds released by Endohexosaminidase H treatment as examples which support this approach.     

Characterization of oligosaccharide moieties of intact glycoproteins by microwave-assisted partial acid hydrolysis and mass spectrometry

A method, which utilizes microwave-assisted partial acid hydrolysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS), to elucidate oligosaccharide composition of intact glycoproteins is presented here. Glycoproteins, such as ribonuclease B, avidin, alpha1-acid glycoprotein, and fetuin, are used as model systems to demonstrate this technique. Partial cleavage of oligosaccharides from whole intact glycoproteins with trifluoroacetic acid was observed after a short exposure to microwaves. Due to the high-resolution mass spectra obtained by MALDI-TOFMS from glycoproteins with molecular weights less than 20 kDa, the compositions of oligosaccharides are readily derived for ribonuclease B and avidin. The data agree with the proposed oligosaccharide structures of ribonuclease B (five glycoforms) and avidin (eight glycoforms). Larger glycoproteins such as alpha1-acid glycoprotein (many glycoforms) and fetuin (many glycoforms) exhibited only broad peaks with no glycoform resolution. Nevertheless, this method can be used successfully for analysis of glycoproteins with molecular weights greater than 20 kDa to determine the presence or absence of glycosylation.     

Analysis of N‐acetylaminosugars by CE: A comparative derivatization study

N‐linked or O‐linked glycans derived from glycoprotein processing carry, an N‐acetylglucosamine or an N‐acetylgalactosamine respectively, at their reducing termini. The presence of the N‐acetylamino group on C‐2 of reducing sugar residues has been reported to hamper the derivatization reaction with a chromophore at the anomeric centre. In this paper N‐acetyllactosamine, N‐acetylglucosamine, N‐acetylgalactosamine and several other neutral monosaccharides are coupled to three different dyes (4‐aminobenzonitrile, 2‐aminopyridine, 2‐aminobenzoic acid (2‐AA)) by reductive amination and analysed by CE with UV detection. The 2‐AA derivatives showed the lowest concentration detection limits, varying approximately in the 2–3 μM range for the saccharides tested including the N‐acetamido ones. The possibility to separate and detect with the same sensitivity ten 2‐AA‐labelled monosaccharides mainly found in mammalian or plant glycoproteins in a single CE run is highlighted. The analysis has been carried out in less than 25 min using the borate‐complexation method in CZE mode. The influence of the strength of the acid used as catalyst in the chemical modification of the sugars with 2‐AA is also shortly addressed.     

Enzymatic removal of N‐glycans by PNGase F coated magnetic microparticles

Investigation of protein glycosylation is an important area in biomarker discovery and biopharmaceutical research. Alterations in protein N‐glycosylation can be an indication of changes in pathological conditions in the medical field or production parameters of biotherapeutics. Rapid development of these disciplines calls for fast, high‐throughput, and reproducible methods to analyze protein N‐glycosylation. Currently used methods require either long deglycosylation times or large excess of enzymes. In this paper, we report on the use of PNGase F immobilization onto the surface of magnetic microparticles and their use in rapid and efficient removal of N‐glycans from glycoproteins. The use of immobilized PNGase F also allowed reusability of the enzyme‐coated beads as the magnetic microparticles can be readily partitioned from the sample by a magnet after each deglycosylation reaction. The efficiency and activity of the PNGase F coated magnetic beads was compared with in‐solution enzyme reactions using standard glycoproteins possessing the major N‐glycan types of neutral, high mannose, and highly sialylated carbohydrates. The PNGase F coated magnetic beads offered comparable deglycosylation level to the conventional in‐solution based method in 10‐min reaction times for the model glycoproteins of immunoglobulin G (mostly neutral carbohydrates), ribonuclease B (high mannose type sugars), and fetuin (highly sialylated oligosaccharides) with the special features of easy removal of the enzyme from the reaction mixture and reusability.     

Quantification of N-acetyl- and N-glycolylneuraminic acids by a stable isotope dilution assay using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

The present report describes a method for the quantification of N-acetyl- and N-glycolylneuraminic acids without any derivatization, using their (13)C(3)-isotopologues as internal standards and a C(18) reversed-phase column modified by decylboronic acid which allows for the first time a complete chromatographic separation between the two analytes. The method is based on high-performance liquid chromatographic coupled with electrospray ion-trap mass spectrometry. The limit of quantification of the method is 0.1mg/L (2.0ng on column) for both analytes. The calibration curves are linear for both sialic acids over the range of 0.1-80mg/L (2.0-1600ng on column) with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.997. The proposed method was applied to the quantitative determination of sialic acids released from fetuin as a model of glycoproteins.