Binding of [125I] wheat germ agglutinin to Chinese hamster ovary cells under conditions which affect the mobility of membrane components.

The binding of [125I]wheat germ agglutinin ([125I]WGA) of high specific activity to Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells has been examined over a millionfold range of WGA concentrations and correlated with the phenomena of agglutination and capping by WGA. Analysis of the binding data by the method of Scatchard gives a complex curve indicative of positive cooperativity amongst high-affinity binding sites. Binding assays performed under conditions which inhibit capping and/or agglutination, such as low temperature or glutaraldehyde fixation, give similarly complex binding curves. Thus, the gross mobility of WGA receptors in the membrane does not appear to be responsible for the cooperative binding of WGA to CHO cells.

Asparagine-linked oligosaccharides in murine tumor cells: comparison of a WGA-resistant (WGAr) nonmetastatic mutant and a related WGA-sensitive (WGAs) metastatic line.

MDW40, a wheat germ agglutinin-resistant (WGAr) mutant of the highly metastatic tumor cell line called MDAY-D2, is restricted to local growth at the subcutaneous site of inoculation. The WGAr tumor cells acquire metastatic ability by fusing spontaneously with a normal host cell followed by chromosome segregation, a process accompanied by reversion of the WGAr phenotype (i.e., WGAs). Since lectin-resistant mutant cell lines often have oligosaccharide alterations that may affect membrane function and consequently metastatic capacity, we compared the major Asn-linked glycopeptides in WGAr and WGAs cell lines. [2-3H]mannose-labeled glycopeptides were separated into four fractions on a DEAE-cellulose column and then further fractionated on a concanavalin A-Sepharose column. Glycopeptide structures were determined by: (a) sequential exoglycosidase digestion followed by chromatography on lectin/agarose and Bio-Gel P-4 columns and (b) proton nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. The metastatic WGAs cells had a sialylated poly-N-acetyllactosamine-containing glycopeptide which was absent in the nonmetastatic mutant cell line. Unique to the mutant was a neutral triantennary class of glycopeptide lacking sialic acid and galactose; the WGAr lesion therefore appeared to be a premature truncation of the antennae of the poly-N-acetyllactosamine-containing glycopeptide found in the WGAs cells. High mannose glycopeptides containing five to nine mannose residues constituted a major class in both WGAr and WGAs cells. Lysates of both wild-type and mutant cells had similar levels of galactosyltransferase activity capable of adding galactose to the N-acetylglucosamine-terminated glycopeptide isolated from mutant cells; the basis of the WGAr lesion remains to be determined.

Differential involvement of cell surface sialic acid residues in wheat germ agglutinin binding to parental and wheat germ agglutinin-resistant Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Two Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell mutants selected for resistance to wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) have been shown to exhibit defective sialylation of membrane glycoproteins and a membrane glycolipid, GM3. The mutants (termed WgaRII and WgaRIII) have been previously shown to belong to different genetic complementation groups and to exhibit different WGA-binding abilities. These mutants and a WGA-resistant CHO cell mutant termed WgaRI (which also possesses a surface sialylation defect arising from a deficient N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase activity), have enabled us to investigate the role of sialic acid in WGA binding at the cell surface. Scatchard plots of the binding of 125I-WGA (1 ng/ml to 1 mg/ml) to parental and WgaR CHO cells before and after a brief treatment with neuraminidase provide evidence for several different groups of sialic acid residues at the CHO cell surface which may be distinquished by their differential involvement in WGA binding to CHO cells.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of a pea lectin-methyl 3,6-di-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside complex.

The seed lectin isolated from garden peas (Pisum sativum) has been co-crystallized with methyl 3,6-di-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with unit cell dimensions a = 64.3 A, b = 73.4 A and C = 108.5 A. The asymmetric unit contains one pea lectin dimer (alpha 2 beta 2). The crystals are suitable for high-resolution structure analysis.

Inhibitors of carbohydrate processing: A new class of anticancer agents.

There is a need for anticancer agents with novel mechanisms of action. Recently identified molecular targets for new anticancer agents include inducers of cell differentiation, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis, as well as signaling pathways for growth factors and cytokines. Another unexplored opportunity is presented by the ubiquitous intracellular glycoprotein glycosylation pathway. This complex process, concerned with the addition of sugars onto newly synthesized proteins, occurs in the lumen of the rough endoplasmic reticulum and in the Golgi. There are estimates of over 200 glycosyltransferase enzymes in this pathway, which results in considerable structural diversity of carbohydrates found on secreted and transmembrane glycoproteins. The specificity of glycosyltransferases for acceptors and sugar-nucleotide donors dictates linkage positions between sugars, anomeric configuration of linkages, and monosaccharide composition. Specific carbohydrate structures participate in cell-cell and cell-substratum interactions affecting processes such as lymphocyte trafficking, immune cell stimulation, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. Of the carbohydrate-processing inhibitors presently available, the alkaloid swainsonine, a Golgi alpha-mannosidase II inhibitor, is the first to have been selected for clinical testing based on its anticancer activity, p.o. availability, and low toxicity in mice. Herein, we review the rationale for targeting Golgi carbohydrate processing pathways in the treatment of cancer, and summarize the preclinical and clinical results with swainsonine. Prospects for the development of second generation inhibitors with improved specificity for Golgi-processing enzymes are discussed. Potential clinical applications of this new class of anticancer agents are emphasized.

Syntheses of model oligosaccharides of biological significance. Synthesis of methyl 3,6-di-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-d-mannopyranoside and the corresponding mannobiosides.

Methyl 2-O-allyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-3-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl) -alpha-D-mannopyranoside (12) was prepared in 90% yield by Helferich glycosylation of methyl 2-O-allyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (9) with tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl bromide (11). Removal of the benzylidene group and second Helferich glycosylation with 11 led to methyl 2-O-allyl-3,6-di-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (14) which, after deallylation and Zemplén deacetylation, gave the title compound 5. The disaccharides methyl 3-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-mannopyranoside (7) and methyl 6-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (6) have also been synthesized. Complete assignments of the 1H-n.m.r. spectra of the compounds 5, 6, and 7 are given.

Synthesis of di- and tri-saccharides with intramolecular NH-glycosidic linkages: molecules with flexible and rigid glycosidic bonds for conformational studies.

Attempted dephthalimidation of the trisaccharide 1-O-acetyl-3,4-di-O-benzyl- 2,6-di-O-(3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-beta-D-glucopyranosyl )-alpha-D-mannopyranose (1) and its derivatives 2 and 3, as well as the disaccharide 1-O-acetyl-3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-2-O-(3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl- 2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranose (13), with hydrazine hydrate in ethanol at 80 degrees C, produced the trisaccharide-6-O-(2-acetamido-3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-beta-D- glucopyranosyl)-3,4-di-O-benzyl-beta-D-mannopyranose-3',4',6'-tri-O-a cet yl- beta-D-glucopyranose 1,2'-N:1',2-O-dianhydride (4) and 3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-beta-D-mannopyranose 3',4',6'-tri-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranose 1,2'-N:1',2-O-dianhydride (14), respectively, containing an intramolecular NH-glycosidic linkage. The conventional deblocking of compounds 4 and 14 gave the completely deblocked trisaccharide 6-O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-beta-D-mannopyranose beta-D-glucopyranose 1,2'-N:1',2-O-dianhydride (6) and the disaccharide beta-D-mannopyranose beta-D-glucopyranose 1,2'-N:1',2-O-dianhydride (16), respectively, containing an intact intramolecular NH-glycosidic bond. The unusual intra NH-glycosyl character makes the linkage rigid, and therefore these compounds should not only be useful for NMR studies but also as substrates or inhibitors of GlcNAc-transferases.

Flexibility in a tetrasaccharide fragment from the high mannose type of N-linked oligosaccharides.

An analysis has been carried out of the three-dimensional structure of a tetrasaccharide, Man(alpha 1-3)Man(alpha 1-6)Man(beta 1-4)GlcN Ac beta 1-OCD3, which is a fragment from the high mannose type of N-linked oligosaccharides. Although earlier work had suggested that this fragment might adopt a stable three-dimensional structure, both n.m.r. and conformational energy calculations support the existence of an ensemble of structures. The conformational entropy calculated from the ensemble and the distribution of distances between the terminal Man(alpha 1-3) and GlcN Ac residues, however, suggests that a significant fraction of the ensemble has the two terminal residues in close proximity.

Lectin receptors and lectin resistance in chinese hamster ovary cells.

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells previously selected in a single-step for resistance to one or two different lectins and assigned to individual phenotypic groups on the basis of their unique patterns of lectin resistance, have been examined for their lectin-binding abilites. The lectin-binding parameters of CHO cells were shown to be very complex in a detailes study of the binding of 125I-WGA to wild-type (WT) cells. On the basis of these results, standard assay conditions were established and comparative binding studies between the twenty-two WT and lectin-resistant (LecR) clones were performed. A general correlation of lectin resistance with decreased lectin-binding ability and of lectin sensitivity with increased lectin-binding ability was found, although several exceptions to this trend were observed.

Virtual and solution conformations of oligosaccharides.

The possibility that observed nuclear Overhauser enhancements and bulk longitudinal relaxation times, parameters measured by 1H NMR and often employed in determining the preferred solution conformation of biologically important molecules, are the result of averaging over many conformational states is quantitatively evaluated. Of particular interest was to ascertain whether certain 1H NMR determined conformations are "virtual" in nature; i.e., the fraction of the population of molecules actually found at any time within the subset of conformational space defined as the "solution conformation" is vanishingly small. A statistical mechanics approach was utilized to calculate an ensemble average relaxation matrix from which (NOE)'s and (T1)'s are calculated. Model glycosidic linkages in four oligosaccharides were studied. The solution conformation at any glycosidic linkage is properly represented by a normalized, Boltzmann distribution of conformers generated from an appropriate potential energy surface. The nature of the resultant population distributions is such that 50% of the molecular population is found within 1% of available microstates, while 99% of the molecular population occupies about 10% of the ensemble microstates, a number roughly equal to that sterically allowed. From this analysis we conclude that in many cases quantitative interpretation of NMR relaxation data, which attempts to define a single set of allowable torsion angle values consistent with the observed data, will lead to solution conformations that are either virtual or reflect torsion angle values possessed by a minority of the molecular population. On the other hand, calculation of ensemble average NMR relaxation data yields values in agreement with experimental results. Observed values of NMR relaxation data are the result of the complex interdependence of the population distribution and NOE (or T1) surfaces in conformational space. In conformational analyses, NMR data can therefore be used to test different population distributions calculated from empirical potential energy functions.

Reevaluation of rotamer populations for 1,6 linkages: reconciliation with potential energy calculations.

Applications of ensemble averaging to the solution conformation of model compounds for N-linked glycans are further investigated. Specifically, the interpretation usually applied to observed values of J5,6', a parameter reflecting the rotameric distribution about C5-C6 bonds (torsion angle omega in 1,6 glycosidic linkages) in 6-O-substituted hexopyranosides, was found to be inconsistent with populations derived from potential energy calculations. However, agreement between observed and calculated, ensemble-averaged values of J5,6' was obtained and the distribution of omega rotamers reinterpreted. Values of J5,6' that were previously interpreted as indicative of equipartition between two rotamers in fact reflect a marked preference for one of them. Additional potential energy terms, previously absent from energy calculations, are introduced and shown to be without effect on interpretations of omega rotamer distributions. From comparisons with both NMR relaxation and scalar coupling constant data, it is concluded that a simple empirical algorithm, HSEA, calculating van der Waals, exo-anomeric, and (as appropriate) hydrogen-bonding terms, is best suited for describing the population distributions in solution for oligosaccharides and N-linked glycans.

Wheat germ agglutinin dimers bind sialyloligosaccharides at four sites in solution: proton nuclear magnetic resonance temperature studies at 360 MHz.

Equilibrium binding studies have been performed over a range of temperatures from 25.4 to 47.3 degrees C between wheat germ agglutinin isolectin I (WGA I) and the alpha 2-3 isomer of (N-acetylneuraminyl)lactose (NeuNAc alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4G1c). Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 360 MHz has been used to monitor titrations in this system under conditions where the fraction of total ligand which is bound is small, yet the fractional occupation of sites covers a wide range. Several of the ligand resonances, including the N-acetyl methyl and the axial and equatorial hydrogens at carbon 3 of the NeuNAc residue, are shifted and broadened in the presence of WGA due to chemical exchange between the free and bound environments. The lifetime broadening of the N-acetyl resonance at room temperature of a series of related sialyloligosaccharides has been previously used by us to measure binding affinities to two WGA isolectins [Kronis, K.A., & Carver, J.P. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 3050-3057]. In this paper we report the temperature dependence of the apparent bound shifts and the apparent bound line widths of the N-acetyl, H3a, and H3e peaks. The true bound shifts for the three resonances have been obtained from these data by using the equations derived by Swift and Connick [Swift, T.J., & Connick, R.E. (1962) J. Chem. Phys. 37, 307-320]. The total bound shifts, per monomer, were found to be -1.98, -4.0, and -0.8 ppm for the N-acetyl, the H3a, and the H3e resonances, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Thermodynamics of wheat germ agglutinin-sialyloligosaccharide interactions by proton nuclear magnetic resonance.

The thermodynamic parameters that characterize the binding of wheat germ agglutinin isolectin I (WGA I) to the alpha 2-3 isomer of (N-acetylneuraminyl)lactose have been determined by 360-MHz proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The chemical exchange of the ligand between the free and bound sites resulted in a broadening and upfield shifting of the N-acetyl methyl resonance [Kronis, K.A., & Carver, J.P. (1985) Biochemistry (preceding paper in this issue)] which has allowed the determination of the equilibrium constant, KD, and the dissociation rate constant, kD. In this paper, the analysis of the temperature dependence of the KD values between 25.4 and 51.6 degrees C yielded equilibrium parameters indicative of a large entropy barrier to binding: delta H degree = -13.3 +/- 1.0 kcal mol-1 and delta S degree = -31.9 +/- 2.4 cal mol-1 K-1. The Arrhenius plot of the effect of temperature on the dissociation rate (kD) and the plot of 1n (kD/T) vs. 1/T indicated that the transition complex represented an unfavorable energy state compared to the dissociated molecules with an activation energy (EA) of +18.0 kcal mol-1 and enthalpy and entropy of dissociation (delta HD not equal to and delta SD not equal to) values of +17.4 +/- 0.3 kcal mol-1 and +13.4 +/- 1.2 cal mol-1 K-1, respectively. The driving force for this binding reaction is the large negative delta H degree with a small enthalpic barrier to association (delta HA = +4.1 kcal mol-1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Virtual coupling in the 1H NMR spectrum of N,N'-diacetyl chitobioside. Application to glycopeptides.

The unexplained line shape for the anomeric hydrogen resonance of the core GlcNAc observed in the 1H NMR spectra of high mannose N-linked glycopeptides (Bruch, R. C., and Bruch, M. D. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 3409-3413) can be accounted for by virtual coupling. Complete assignment, at various temperatures, of the 360-MHz 1H NMR spectrum of beta-methyl N,N'-diacetyl chitobioside confirms this interpretation. This analysis has revealed the existence of a long range chemical shift perturbation in these glycopeptides which is interpreted as arising from their specific three-dimensional structure.

Determination of glycopeptide primary structure by 360-MHz proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

A detailed analysis of the proton magnetic resonance spectral parameters for the anomeric and C2 hydrogen resonances of 63 different glycopeptides and oligosaccharides of known structure reveals a general method for the determination of the primary structure of glycopeptides for most currently known classes of structures. In particular, a two-dimensional display formed by plotting mannosyl C1-H vs. C2-H chemical shifts demonstrates that these pairs of values are sensitive to long-range perturbation by remote substitution by hexoses as well as to direct substitution effects. A total of 41 Cl-H/C2-H chemical shift clusters have been defined which characterize unique structural microenvironments. On the basis, the sequence and branching pattern for most structures can be derived. Corroborative evidence is obtained from an examination of the chemical shifts of the galactosyl and N-acetylglucosaminyl anomeric hydrogens as well as other features of the spectrum.

Magnetic resonance studies of concanavalin A:CONFORMATIONAL CHANGES INDUCED BY Ca2+ and alpha-methyl-D-mannopyranoside.

Three independent solution spectroscopic techniques (solvent proton relaxation enhancement, circular dichroism, and high resolution 220 MHz proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy) have been utilized to demonstrate mental ion- and monosaccharide inhibitor-induced structural perturbations for the dimeric form of the plant lectin concanavalin A (Con A). The results indicate that (i) the occupation of the transition metal ion site S1 by Mn-2+ or Zn-2+ does not detectably perturn the demetallized protein conformation, (ii) the binding of Ca=2+ to the Con A-Mn-2+ or Con A-Zn-2+ complexes perturbs the protein structure in the vicinity of the S1 site as well as at points remote from the S1-S2 double ion site, and (iii) the binding of the monosaccharide inhibitor alpha-methyl-D-mannopyranoside to the fully metallized Con A complex also significantly perturbs the structural features of the protein. A detailed radio frequency dependence analysis of the Ca-2+ effect on the solvent proton relaxation enhancement properties of the Con A-Mn-2+ complex indicates that the considerable reduction in the observed enhancement upon Ca-2+ binding principally results from an approximate 120-fold decrease in the single Mn-2+ water of hydratio- exchange rate; The 220 MHz proton magnetic resonance spectra for Con A indicate that this form of spectroscopy is the most useful of those utilized in detailing the solution structural features of this lectin, and a tentative assignment for the C-2-H proton of histidine residue 24 (the S1 site ligand) has been proposed.

Specificity of isolectins of wheat germ agglutinin for sialyloligosaccharides: a 360-MHz proton nuclear magnetic resonance binding study.

The binding of three purified sialic acid containing oligosaccharides to two isolectins of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA I and WGA II) has been quantitated by measuring the broadening of a ligand resonance in the proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectrum at 360 MHz. The ligands, isolated from bovine colostrum by using the procedure of Schneir and Rafelson [Schneir, M. L., & Rafelson, M. E., Jr. (1966) Biochim. Biophys, Acta 130, 1--11], were identified by 1H NMR as the alpha (2,3) and alpha (2,6) isomers of N-acetylneuraminyllactose, as well as the alpha (2,6) form of N,N'-diacetylneuraminyllactosamine. The dissociation constants, KD's, ranged from 0.7 to 10 mM (24 +/- 1 degree C). Two noteworthy features of WGA specificity emerge from an examination of the observed affinities: (1) both isolectins bind the alpha (2,3) isomer of N-acetylneuraminyllactose with higher affinity than the alpha (2,6) form and (2) WGA I binds two of the sialyloligosaccharides more tightly than does WGA II.