Preparation of a high-performance multi-lectin affinity chromatography (HP-M-LAC) adsorbent for the analysis of human plasma glycoproteins

We report on the preparation of an improved multi-lectin affinity support for HPLC separations. We combined the selectivity of three different lectins: concanavalin A (ConA), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), and jacalin (JAC). Each lectin was first covalently immobilized onto a polymeric matrix and then the three lectin media were combined in equal ratios. The beads were packed into a column to produce a mixed-bed multi-lectin HPLC column (high-performance multi-lectin affinity chromatography (HP-M-LAC)) for fast chromatographic affinity separations. The support was characterized with respect to kinetics of immobilization, ligand density, and binding capacity for human plasma glycoproteins. A high lectin density (15 mg/mL of beads) was found to be optimal for the binding of glycoproteins from human plasma. A single clinical sample can be fractionated in less than 10 min per run, making this a useful sample preparation tool for proteomics/glycoproteomics studies associated with disease abnormalities.