Characterizing plant cell wall derived oligosaccharides using hydrophilic interaction chromatography with mass spectrometry detection

Analysis of complex mixtures of plant cell wall derived oligosaccharides is still challenging and multiple analytical techniques are often required for separation and characterization of these mixtures. In this work it is demonstrated that hydrophilic interaction chromatography coupled with evaporative light scattering and mass spectrometry detection (HILIC-ELSD-MS(n)) is a valuable tool for identification of a wide range of neutral and acidic cell wall derived oligosaccharides. The separation potential for acidic oligosaccharides observed with HILIC is much better compared to other existing techniques, like capillary electrophoresis, reversed phase and porous-graphitized carbon chromatography. Important structural information, such as presence of methyl esters and acetyl groups, is retained during analysis. Separation of acidic oligosaccharides with equal charge yet with different degrees of polymerization can be obtained. The efficient coupling of HILIC with ELSD and MS(n)-detection enables characterization and quantification of many different oligosaccharide structures present in complex mixtures. This makes HILIC-ELSD-MS(n) a versatile and powerful additional technique in plant cell wall analysis.     

A simple and practical approach to enantiomerically pure (S)-3-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone: synthesis of (R)-4-cyano-3-hydroxybutyric acid ethyl ester

The oxidation of α- or β-(1,4) linked disaccharides or oligosaccharides with cumene hydroperoxide in the presence of a base gave (S)-3,4-dihydroxybutyric acid, which was cyclized under acidic conditions to furnish (S)-3-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone. This was subsequently converted into (R)-cyano-3-hydroxybutyric acid ethyl ester, an intermediate for statin based drugs and other related compounds.     

Isolation of the major O-glycosidically linked oligosaccharides obtained by alkaline borohydride degradation of human meconium glycoproteins

Neutral and acidic oligosaccharides derived from human meconium glycoproteins by alkaline borohydride degradation have been separated by high-performance liquid chromatography on a Micro-Pak anion-exchange column. In each class, oligosaccharides were purified by normal-phase (neutral and acidic oligosaccharides) and reversed-phase (neutral oligosaccharides) chromatography. Effective separations of neutral oligosaccharides and acidic oligosaccharides were achieved.     

Isolation and structural characterisation of okara polysaccharides

Okara is a byproduct generated during tofu or soymilk production processes. Crude polysaccharide (yield 56.8%) was isolated by removing fat, protein and low molecular weight carbohydrates from initial okara. Crude okara polysaccharide was further divided into four soluble fractions and an insoluble residue fraction by extracting with 0.05 M EDTA + NH(4) oxalate, 0.05 M NaOH, 1 M NaOH and 4 M NaOH, with yields of 7.7%, 3.6%, 20.7%, 16.0% and 27.9%, respectively. Arabinose, galactose, galacturonic acid, xylose and glucose (only for the insoluble fraction) were the major constituent sugars. The primary sugar residues of okara polysaccharides were 1,4-linked β-galactopyranose, 1,5- and 1,3-linked α-arabinofuranose, 1,5-linked α-xylofuranose, 1,2-linked, 1,2,4-linked and terminal α-rhamnopyranose (or fucopyranose), and 1,4-linked β-glucopyranose (only for the insoluble fraction), indicating okara polysaccharides might contain galactan, arabinan, arabinogalactan, xylogalacturonan, rhamnogalacturonan, xylan, xyloglucan and cellulose.     

Identification of the composition of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides by pyrlysis/capillary gas chromatography

Pyrolysis/capillary gas chromatography is used for the characterization of the monomer composition of various oligosaccharides and polysaccharides including glucose-containing disaccharides,glucans, a galactomannan and an arabinogalactan. The chromatograms showed many common pyrolysis products, but also unique anhydrosugar products (e.g., 1,6-anhydroglucopyranose, 1,4-anhydroarabinopyranose, 2,6-anhydrofructofuranose) derived from each type of saccharide unit present in the samples. Reasonable values of the monomer composition of the polysaccharide can also be obtained from th pyrograms. The method is rapid and direct, requiring no sample preparation.     

Capillary electrophoresis of complex natural polysaccharides

Complex natural polysaccharides, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), are a class of ubiquitous macromolecules that exhibit a wide range of biological functions and participate and regulate multiple cellular events and (patho)physiological processes. They are generally present either as free chains (hyaluronic acid and bacterial acidic polysaccharides) or as side chains of proteoglycans (PGs; chondroitin/dermatan sulfate, heparin/heparan sulfate, and keratan sulfate) and are most often found in cell membranes and in the extracellular matrix. The recent emergence of modern analytical tools for their study has produced a virtual explosion in the field of glycomics. CE, due to its high resolving power and sensitivity, has been useful in the analysis of intact GAGs and GAG-derived oligosaccharides and disaccharides affording concentration and structural characterization data essential for understanding the biological functions of GAGs. In this review, novel off-line and on-line CE-MS and MS/MS methods for screening of GAG-derived oligosaccharides and disaccharides will be discussed.     

Sequential Analysis of α-Glucooligosaccharides with α-(1→4) and α-(1→6) Linkages by Negative Ion Q-TOF MS/MS Spectrometry

Negative ion Q-TOF MS/MS spectra are shown to be very useful for sequential analysis of the glycosidic linkage in the α-gluco-oligosaccharides (DP 3-6) derived from an amylopectin molecule. The composition of the fragmentation ions generated from these compounds enabled us to distinguish two kinds of glycosidic linkage, α-(1→4) and α-(1→6), at same time to determine the glucose sequence from the reducing end of the oligosaccharide.     

Comparative Analysis of Polysaccharides from Two Ecological Types of Leymus chinensis

Leymus chinensis(Trin.) Tzvel., widely distributed at eastern Eurasian steppe and divided into gray-green type and yellow-green type, has different stress resistance to environment. In the present study, the water-soluble polysaccharides from two ecotypes of L. chinensis were analyzed in detail, and the differences between polysaccharides from the two ecotypes of L. chinensis in the yield, monosaccharide composition, molecular weight and structure were clarified. The polysaccharides of L. chinensis were composed of both neutral and acidic polysaccharides. The neutral polysaccharides contained mannose, glucose, galactose, xylose and arabinose, and mainly consisted of β-1,4-Glcp, α-1,3-Galp and α-1,2-Xylp residues. The acidic polysaccharides contained mannose, rhamnose, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, xylose and arabinose. However, the yields, monosaccharides contents and the molecular weights of the polysaccharides from the two ecotypes of L. chinensis were different. Moreover, the resistance type(gray-green type) of L. chinensis contained a number of α-1,3-Manp and reducing end of β-Glcp residues, and much more O-methyl groups than normal type(yellow-green type) of L. chinensis. The differences of the polysaccharides of the two ecotypes of L. chinensis might be due to the long-term environmental adaptability of plant, and the differences of the polysaccharides might influence the stress resistance of L. chinensis.     

A Conjugate Addition Approach to Diazo-Containing Scaffolds with β Quaternary Centers

Structurally complex diazo-containing scaffolds are formed by conjugate addition to vinyl diazonium salts. The electrophile, a little studied α-diazonium-α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound, is formed at low temperature under mild conditions by treating β-hydroxy-α-diazo carbonyls with Sc(OTf)₃. Conjugate addition occurs selectively at the 3-position of indole to give α-diazo-β-indole carbonyls, and enoxy silanes react to give 2-diazo-1,4-dicarbonyl products. These reactions result in the formation of tertiary and quaternary centers, and give products that would be otherwise difficult to form. Importantly, the diazo functional group is retained within the molecule for future manipulation. Treating an α-diazo ester indole addition product with Rh₂(OAc)₄ caused a rearrangement to occur to give a 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-2-enoate. In the case of diazo ketone compounds, this shift occurred spontaneously on prolonged exposure to the Lewis acidic reaction conditions.     

Thin-layer electrophoretic separation of monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and related compounds on reverse phase silica gel

The electrophoretic mobilities of monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, sugar alcohols and sugar acids were determined in 0.3 M borate buffer, pH 10, using thin-layer electrophoresis on silanized silica gel, pretreated with octanol-1. A rapid separation of a number of sugars, occurring in foods, could be achieved. Using a 0.05-0.1 M neutral solution of barium acetate as electrolyte, thin-layer electrophoresis allowed excellent and rapid separation as well as identification of all common uronic acids which are constituents of many acidic polysaccharides.     

Examination of complex oligosaccharides by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry on time-of-flight and magnetic sector instruments

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) spectra of underivatized oligosaccharides of the type attached to asparagine in glycoproteins (N-linked oligosaccharides) were examined with linear time-of-flight (TOF) and magnetic sector instruments using 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHB), α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid, sinapinic acid, 1,4-dihydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid or 2-(4-hydroxyphenylazo)benzoic acid (HABA) as the matrices. All compounds formed abundant [M + Na]⁺ ions with the strongest signals being obtained from 2,5-DHB after recrystallization of the initially dried sample spot from ethanol. Only traces of fragmentation were detected from neutral oligosaccharides on the TOF system but more abundant fragment ions (about 5% relative abundance) were present in the spectra from the magnetic sector instrument. Fragmentation was dominated by Y-type glycosidic cleavages (Domon and Costello nomenclature) between all sugar residues yielding sequence and branching information. Sialic acid-containing oligosaccharides generally produced the sodium adduct of the sodium salt and gave much weaker signals than the neutral sugars in the positive-ion mode. There was also considerable loss of the sialic acid moleties as the result of fragmentation on the magnetic sector instrument. The least fragmentation of both neutral and acidic sugars was caused by 2.5 DHB, which proved to be the most appropriate matrix for examination of oligosaccharide mixtures. Much better resolution of the oligosaccharides was obtained than by traditional methods such as the use of Bio-Gel P-4 gel filtration column chromatography. It is worth noting also that the measurements were considerably faster (a few minutes as opposed to about 16 h). In addition, no radiolabelling was necessary as required for detection on the P-4 columns. Mixtures of oligosaccharides from several glycoproteins (ribonuclease B, human immunoglobulin G (IgG) transferrin, bovine fetuin and chicken ovalbumin) were examined and the patterns of the identified oligosaccharides were found to agree closely with the known compositions of the sugar mixtures. The mass spectrometric resolution on the magnetic sector instrument was very much better (up to 3000, FWHM) than could be obtained with the linear TOF systems (200–400). The technique was used as a detection system for the products of exoglycosidase digestion in experiments to determine the detailed structure of the oligosaccharide chains from human IgG.     

一种碱溶性灰树花菌丝体多糖GFM2A的制备和结构表征

以灰树花菌丝体为原料, 经过碱提取和柱色谱分离纯化, 得到一种碱溶性多糖(GFM2A). 经高碘酸氧化、Smith降解、乙酰解并采用GCMS, IR, 2D NMR等方法对该多糖的化学结构进行了表征. 结果表明, 该多糖由葡萄糖(Glc)、甘露糖(Man)和木糖(Xyl)组成, 其摩尔比为9∶2∶1, 其主链由6个α-1, 3-D-Glc和2个α-1,3-D-Man 构成, 且α-1,3-D-Glc残基O-4位有两个分支, 其中一个分支连接3个β-1,4-D-Glc, 另一个分支连接一个α-1,4-D-Xyl.     

An extensive review of studies on mycobacterium cell wall polysaccharide-related oligosaccharides – part I: Synthetic studies on arabinofuranosyl oligosaccharides

Abstract

Lipoarabinomannan (LAM), mannosyl LAM (ManLAM), and mycolyl-arabinogalactan (mAG) are unique and ubiquitous cell wall constituents of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), the bacterium causing tuberculosis (TB), one of the deadliest diseases worldwide. It has been well documented that LAM, ManLAM, and mAG play an important role in mycobacterial infections and in the elicitation of specific immune responses against M. tb in the host. Therefore, LAM, ManLAM, mAG, and related molecules are attractive targets for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for TB. Accordingly, great research efforts have been spent on the chemical synthesis and biological studies of mycobacterium-related arabinofuranosyl oligosaccharides and their mimetics and conjugates. This article provides an extensive review about the progresses in this area. Due to the page limit of the journal, this review is published separately in three parts. Part I is focused on various glycosylation methods or strategies and protection tactics for stereoselective and stereospecific construction of α- and β-arabinofuranosyl linkages, as well as their applications to the synthesis of simple to highly complex mycobacterium-related arabinofuranosyl oligosaccharides containing only α-linked or both α- and β-linked arabinofuranosyl residues.     

Effects of the redox state of porous graphitic carbon on the retention of oligosaccharides

Retention of hydrophilic compounds on porous graphitic carbon (PGC) is afforded by polar interactions with induced dipoles within this polarizable stationary phase. These interactions depend on the redox state of PGC, which can be influenced by application of an electrical field or by chemical means. We explored the impact of oxidizing and reducing agents on the retention of fluorescence labeled neutral oligosaccharides. Malto-oligosaccharides were employed as simple model system. Subsequently, the effects on the retention of glycans typical for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies were investigated. Chemical oxidation of the PGC surface increased the retention of all analytes tested. Selectivities were significantly altered by the redox treatment, emphasizing the need for controlling the redox state of PGC to achieve reproducible conditions. Furthermore a column pre-conditioning protocol is presented, which allowed for reproducible chromatography of neutral IgG glycans.     

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.     

Tailormade Polysaccharides with Defined Branching Patterns: Enzymatic Polymerization of Arabinoxylan Oligosaccharides

The heterogeneous nature of non‐cellulosic polysaccharides, such as arabinoxylan, makes it difficult to correlate molecular structure with macroscopic properties. To study the impact of specific structural features of the polysaccharides on crystallinity or affinity to other cell wall components, collections of polysaccharides with defined repeating units are required. Herein, a chemoenzymatic approach to artificial arabinoxylan polysaccharides with systematically altered branching patterns is described. The polysaccharides were obtained by glycosynthase‐catalyzed polymerization of glycosyl fluorides derived from arabinoxylan oligosaccharides. X‐ray diffraction and adsorption experiments on cellulosic surfaces revealed that the physicochemical properties of the synthetic polysaccharides strongly depend on the specific nature of their substitution patterns. The artificial polysaccharides allow structure–property relationship studies that are not accessible by other means.     

Probing Helical Hydrophobic Binding Sites in Branched Starch Polysaccharides Using NMR Spectroscopy

Branched starch polysaccharides are capable of binding multiple hydrophobic guests, but their exploitation as multivalent hosts and in functional materials is limited by their structural complexity and diversity. Linear α(1–4)‐linked glucose oligosaccharides are known to bind hydrophobic guests inside left‐handed single helices in solution and the solid state. Here, we describe the development of an amphiphilic probe that binds to linear α(1–4)‐linked glucose oligosaccharides and undergoes a conformational switch upon complexation, which gives rise to dramatic changes in the ¹H NMR spectrum of the probe. We use this probe to explore hydrophobic binding sites in the branched starch polysaccharides amylopectin and β‐limit dextrin. Diffusion‐ordered (DOSY), nuclear Overhauser effect (NOESY) and chemical shift perturbation (HSQC) NMR experiments are utilised to provide evidence that, in aqueous solution, branched polysaccharides bind hydrophobic guests in well‐defined helical binding sites, similar to those reported for complexation by linear oligosaccharides. By examining the binding affinity of the probe to systematically enzymatically degraded polysaccharides, we deduce that the binding sites for hydrophobic guests can be located on internal as well as external branches and that proximal α(1–6)‐linked branch points weaken but do not prevent complexation.     

Biosynthesis and maturation of cellular membrane glycoproteins

The biosynthesis and the processing of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of cellular membrane glycoproteins were examined in monolayer cultures of BHK21 cells and human diploid fibroblasts after pulse- and pulse-chase labeling with [2-3H]mannose. After pronase digestion, radiolabeled glycopeptides were characterized by high-resolution gel filtration, with or without additional digestion with various exoglycosidases and endoglycosidases. Pulse-labeled glycoproteins contained a relatively homogenous population of neutral oligosaccharides (major species: Man9GlcNAc2ASN). The vast majority of these asparagine-linked oligosaccharides was smaller than the major fraction of lipid-linked oligosaccharides from the cell and was apparently devoid of terminal glucose. After pulse-chase or long labeling periods, a significant fraction of the large oligomannosyl cores was processed by removal of mannose units and addition of branch sugars (NeuNAc-Gal-GlcNAc), resulting in complex acidic structures containing three and possibly five mannoses. In addition, some of the large oligomannosyl cores were processed by the removal of only several mannoses, resulting in a mixture of neutral structures with 5-9 mannoses. This oligomannosyl core heterogeneity in both neutral and acidic oligosaccharides linked to asparagine in cellular membrane glycoproteins was analogous to the heterogeneity reported for the oligosaccharides of avian RNA tumor virus glycoproteins (Hunt LA, Wright SE, Etchison JR, Summers DF: J Virol 29:336, 1979).     

1,2-Acyl group migration in the oxidative free radical reaction of 2-substituted-1,4-quinones

Oxidative free radical reactions of 2-substituted-1,4-quinone derivatives are described. Electrophilic carbon-centered radical produced by the manganese(III) acetate oxidation of α-chloro-β-ketoester undergoes efficient addition to the C-C double bond of 5,6-dimethyl-2-(methylamino)-1,4-benzoquinone, and this reaction provides a novel method for the synthesis of spirolactam 3 and indole-2,4,7-trione 4. It shows high chemoselectivity depending on the migratory aptitude of the substituent on α-chloro-β-ketoester. Imine radical can be generated from the oxidation of β-enamino carbonyl compound with Mn(III) or Ce(IV) salt. With 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, spirolactam 6 was prepared from β-enamino carbonyl compound effectively. TBACN/CHCl₃ is the most effective reaction condition for the formation of 6.     

Capillary electrophoresis coupled to electrospray mass spectrometry through a coaxial sheath flow interface and semi-permanent phospholipid coating for the determination of oligosaccharides labeled with 1-aminopyrene-3,6,8-trisulfonic acid

For the first time, a semi-permanent phospholipid coating is utilized in capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (CE-ESI-MS). Although phospholipids in free solution are generally avoided in ESI, they did not interfere with the detection of linear and branched oligosaccharides using ESI operated in negative mode. The CE and ESI were coupled using a coaxial sheath flow interface. The separation was operated in reversed polarity and the electroosmotic flow was effectively suppressed by the phospholipid coating. The method was characterized with linear oligosaccharides and used to monitor the enzymatic hydrolysis of maltooligosaccharides with α-amyloglucosidase. Branched oligosaccharides were separated and detected with the system. The enzyme β1-4 galactosidase was used to distinguish branched isomeric oligosaccharides derived from asialofetuin.