Difference in IgA1 O-glycosylation between IgA deposition donors and IgA nephropathy recipients.

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common form of primary glomerulonephritis, and disease recurrence often occurs after transplantation. On the other hands, Asymptomatic IgA deposition (IgAD) is occasionally observed in donated kidney. It is recognized that IgAD does not progress to IgAN, but the mechanism has not demonstrated yet. In IgAN, aberrant IgA1 O-glycan structure in the hinge region (HR) of serum IgA is suggested as one of the most convincing key mediators. However, little is known about IgA1 O-glycan structure in IgAD patients. Herein, we investigated the prevalence of IgAD in living renal transplant donors in our cohort. IgAD was observed in 21(13.0%) among 161 renal transplant donors and have statistically significant blood relationship with IgAN recipients (28.6% in relatives vs. 9.8% in non-relatives, respectively; p = 0.0073). Next, we evaluated the IgA1 O-glycan structure of serum IgA from IgAN recipients (n = 26), IgAD donors (n = 17), and non-IgAD helthy donors (n = 27) using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The numbers of GalNAc and Gal and the Gal/GalNAc ratio in the HR of the IgAN recipients had significantly lower comparing to the IgAD and non-IgAD healthy donors. The decreased Gal/GalNAc ratio in IgAN recipients means the increased ratio of galactose-deficient IgA1. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to compare the O-glycan structures in IgAN recipients and IgAD donors using MALDI-TOF MS. We concluded that IgAD was more common in IgAN related donors. Overall, decreased GalNAc and Gal contents in HR could play a material pathogenic role in IgAN.

Chiral and Molecular Recognition through Protonation between Aromatic Amino Acids and Tripeptides Probed by Collision-Activated Dissociation in the Gas Phase.

Chiral and molecular recognition through protonation was investigated through the collision-activated dissociation (CAD) of protonated noncovalent complexes of aromatic amino acid enantiomers with l-alanine- and l-serine-containing tripeptides using a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. In the case of l-alanine-tripeptide (AAA), NH3 loss was observed in the CAD of heterochiral H⁺(d-Trp)AAA, while H2O loss was the main dissociation pathways for l-Trp, d-Phe, and l-Phe. The protonation site of heterochiral H⁺(d-Trp)AAA was the amino group of d-Trp, and the NH3 loss occurred from H⁺(d-Trp). The H2O loss indicated that the proton was attached to the l-alanine tripeptide in the noncovalent complexes. With the substitution of a central residue of l-alanine tripeptide to l-Ser, ASA recognized l-Phe by protonation to the amino group of l-Phe in homochiral H⁺(l-Phe)ASA. For the protonated noncovalent complexes of His enantiomers with tripeptides (AAA, SAA, ASA, and AAS), protonated His was observed in the spectra, except for those of heterochiral H⁺(d-His)SAA and H⁺(d-His)AAS, indicating that d-His did not accept protons from the SAA and AAS in the noncovalent complexes. The amino-acid sequences of the tripeptides required for the recognition of aromatic amino acids were determined by analyses of the CAD spectra.

The Muscular Dystrophy Gene TMEM5 Encodes a Ribitol ß1,4-Xylosyltransferase Required for the Functional Glycosylation of Dystroglycan.

A defect in O-mannosyl glycan is the cause of α-dystroglycanopathy, a group of congenital muscular dystrophies caused by aberrant α-dystroglycan (α-DG) glycosylation. Recently, the entire structure of O-mannosyl glycan, [3GlcAß1-3Xylα1]n-3GlcAß1-4Xyl-Rbo5P-1Rbo5P-3GalNAcß1-3GlcNAcß1-4 (phospho-6)Manα1-, which is required for the binding of α-DG to extracellular matrix ligands, has been proposed. However, the linkage of the first Xyl residue to ribitol 5-phosphate (Rbo5P) is not clear. TMEM5 is a gene product responsible for α-dystroglycanopathy and was reported as a potential enzyme involved in this linkage formation, although the experimental evidence is still incomplete. Here, we report that TMEM5 is a xylosyltransferase that forms the Xylß1-4Rbo5P linkage on O-mannosyl glycan. The anomeric configuration and linkage position of the product (ß1,4 linkage) was determined by NMR analysis. The introduction of two missense mutations in TMEM5 found in α-dystroglycanopathy patients impaired xylosyltransferase activity. Furthermore, the disruption of the TMEM5 gene by CRISPR/Cas9 abrogated the elongation of the (-3GlcAß1-3Xylα1-) unit on O-mannosyl glycan. Based on these results, we concluded that TMEM5 acts as a UDP-d-xylose:ribitol-5-phosphate ß1,4-xylosyltransferase in the biosynthetic pathway of O-mannosyl glycan.

Enantioselective Collision-Activated Dissociation of Gas-Phase Tryptophan Induced by Chiral Recognition of Protonated L-Alanine Peptides.

Enantioselective dissociation in the gas phase is important for enantiomeric enrichment and chiral transmission processes in molecular clouds regarding the origin of homochirality in biomolecules. Enantioselective collision-activated dissociation (CAD) of tryptophan (Trp) and the chiral recognition ability of L-alanine peptides (L-Ala n ; n = 2-4) were examined using a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. CAD spectra of gas-phase heterochiral H+(D-Trp)(L-Ala n ) and homochiral H+(L-Trp)(L-Ala n ) noncovalent complexes were obtained as a function of the peptide size n. The H2O-elimination product was observed in CAD spectra of both heterochiral and homochiral complexes for n = 2 and 4, and in homochiral H+(L-Trp)(L-Ala3), indicating that the proton is attached to the L-alanine peptide, and H2O loss occurs from H+(L-Ala n ) in the noncovalent complexes. H2O loss did not occur in heterochiral H+(D-Trp)(L-Ala3), where NH3 loss and (H2O + CO) loss were the primary dissociation pathways. In heterochiral H+(D-Trp)(L-Ala3), the protonation site is the amino group of D-Trp, and NH3 loss and (H2O + CO) loss occur from H+(D-Trp). L-Ala peptides recognize D-Trp through protonation of the amino group for peptide size n = 3. NH3 loss and (H2O + CO) loss from H+(D-Trp) proceeds via enantioselective CAD in gas-phase heterochiral H+(D-Trp)(L-Ala3) at room temperature, whereas L-Trp dissociation was not observed in homochiral H+(L-Trp)(L-Ala3). These results suggest that enantioselective dissociation induced by chiral recognition of L-Ala peptides through protonation could play an important role in enantiomeric enrichment and chiral transmission processes of amino acids.

Comparison of analytical methods for profiling N- and O-linked glycans from cultured cell lines : HUPO Human Disease Glycomics/Proteome Initiative multi-institutional study.

The Human Disease Glycomics/Proteome Initiative (HGPI) is an activity in the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) supported by leading researchers from international institutes and aims at development of disease-related glycomics/glycoproteomics analysis techniques. Since 2004, the initiative has conducted three pilot studies. The first two were N- and O-glycan analyses of purified transferrin and immunoglobulin-G and assessed the most appropriate analytical approach employed at the time. This paper describes the third study, which was conducted to compare different approaches for quantitation of N- and O-linked glycans attached to proteins in crude biological samples. The preliminary analysis on cell pellets resulted in wildly varied glycan profiles, which was probably the consequence of variations in the pre-processing sample preparation methodologies. However, the reproducibility of the data was not improved dramatically in the subsequent analysis on cell lysate fractions prepared in a specified method by one lab. The study demonstrated the difficulty of carrying out a complete analysis of the glycome in crude samples by any single technology and the importance of rigorous optimization of the course of analysis from preprocessing to data interpretation. It suggests that another collaborative study employing the latest technologies in this rapidly evolving field will help to realize the requirements of carrying out the large-scale analysis of glycoproteins in complex cell samples.

Suppression of heregulin ß signaling by the single N-glycan deletion mutant of soluble ErbB3 protein.

Heregulin signaling is involved in various tumor proliferations and invasions; thus, receptors of heregulin are targets for the cancer therapy. In this study we examined the suppressing effects of extracellular domains of ErbB2, ErbB3, and ErbB4 (soluble ErbB (sErbB)) on heregulin ß signaling in human breast cancer cell line MCF7. It was found that sErbB3 suppresses ligand-induced activation of ErbB receptors, PI3K/Akt and Ras/Erk pathways most effectively; sErbB2 scarcely suppresses ligand-induced signaling, and sErbB4 suppresses receptor activation at ∼10% efficiency of sErbB3. It was revealed that sErbB3 does not decrease the effective ligands but decreases the effective receptors. By using small interfering RNA (siRNA) for ErbB receptors, we determined that sErbB3 suppresses the heregulin ß signaling by interfering ErbB3-containing heterodimers including ErbB2/ErbB3. By introducing the mutation of N418Q to sErbB3, the signaling-inhibitory effects were increased by 2-3-fold. Moreover, the sErbB3 N418Q mutant enhanced anticancer effects of lapatinib more effectively than the wild type. We also determined the structures of N-glycan on Asn-418. Results suggested that the N-glycan-deleted mutant of sErbB3 suppresses heregulin signaling via ErbB3-containing heterodimers more effectively than the wild type. Thus, we demonstrated that the sErbB3 N418Q mutant is a potent inhibitor for heregulin ß signaling.

Absence of post-phosphoryl modification in dystroglycanopathy mouse models and wild-type tissues expressing non-laminin binding form of α-dystroglycan.

α-Dystroglycan (α-DG) is a membrane-associated glycoprotein that interacts with several extracellular matrix proteins, including laminin and agrin. Aberrant glycosylation of α-DG disrupts its interaction with ligands and causes a certain type of muscular dystrophy commonly referred to as dystroglycanopathy. It has been reported that a unique O-mannosyl tetrasaccharide (Neu5Ac-α2,3-Gal-ß1,4-GlcNAc-ß1,2-Man) and a phosphodiester-linked modification on O-mannose play important roles in the laminin binding activity of α-DG. In this study, we use several dystroglycanopathy mouse models to demonstrate that, in addition to fukutin and LARGE, FKRP (fukutin-related protein) is also involved in the post-phosphoryl modification of O-mannose on α-DG. Furthermore, we have found that the glycosylation status of α-DG in lung and testis is minimally affected by defects in fukutin, LARGE, or FKRP. α-DG prepared from wild-type lung- or testis-derived cells lacks the post-phosphoryl moiety and shows little laminin-binding activity. These results show that FKRP is involved in post-phosphoryl modification rather than in O-mannosyl tetrasaccharide synthesis. Our data also demonstrate that post-phosphoryl modification not only plays critical roles in the pathogenesis of dystroglycanopathy but also is a key determinant of α-DG functional expression as a laminin receptor in normal tissues and cells.

Evaluation of Drug Responses to Human ß2AR Using Native Mass Spectrometry.

We aimed to develop a platform to rapidly investigate the responses of agonists and antagonists to G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) using native mass spectrometry (MS). We successfully observed the ligand-bound human ß2 adrenergic receptor (hß2AR); however, it was challenging to quantitatively discuss drug efficacy from MS data alone. Since ligand-bound GPCRs are stabilized by the Gα subunit of G proteins on the membrane, mini-Gs and nanobody80 (Nb80) that can mimic the Gα interface of the GPCR were utilized. Ternary complexes of hß2AR, ligand, and mini-Gs or Nb80 were prepared and subjected to native MS. We found a strong correlation between the hß2AR-mini-Gs or -Nb80 complex ratio observed in the mass spectra and agonist/antagonist efficacy obtained using a cell-based assay. This method does not require radioisotope labeling and would be applicable to the analysis of other GPCRs, facilitating the characterization of candidate compounds as GPCR agonists and antagonists.

Structural basis of CXC chemokine receptor 1 ligand binding and activation.

Neutrophil granulocytes play key roles in innate immunity and shaping adaptive immune responses. They are attracted by chemokines to sites of infection and tissue damage, where they kill and phagocytose bacteria. The chemokine CXCL8 (also known as interleukin-8, abbreviated IL-8) and its G-protein-coupled receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2 are crucial elements in this process, and also the development of many cancers. These GPCRs have therefore been the target of many drug development campaigns and structural studies. Here, we solve the structure of CXCR1 complexed with CXCL8 and cognate G-proteins using cryo-EM, showing the detailed interactions between the receptor, the chemokine and Gαi protein. Unlike the closely related CXCR2, CXCR1 strongly prefers to bind CXCL8 in its monomeric form. The model shows that steric clashes would form between dimeric CXCL8 and extracellular loop 2 (ECL2) of CXCR1. Consistently, transplanting ECL2 of CXCR2 onto CXCR1 abolishes the selectivity for the monomeric chemokine. Our model and functional analysis of various CXCR1 mutants will assist efforts in structure-based drug design targeting specific CXC chemokine receptor subtypes.

N-glycans of SREC-I (scavenger receptor expressed by endothelial cells): essential role for ligand binding, trafficking and stability.

Scavenger receptor expressed by endothelial cells (SREC-I) mediates the endocytosis of chemically modified lipoproteins such as acetylated low-density lipoprotein (Ac-LDL) and oxidized LDL and is implicated in atherogenesis. We produced recombinant SREC-I in Chinese hamster ovary-K1 cells and identified three potential glycosylation sites, Asn(289), Asn(382) and Asn(393), which were all glycosylated. To determine the function of N-glycans in SREC-I, we characterized SREC-I mutant proteins by intracellular distribution and the cellular incorporation rate of Ac-LDL. N382Q/N393Q and N289Q/N382Q/N393Q were sequestered in the endoplasmic reticulum, resulting in a severe reduction in the cellular incorporation of Ac-LDL. N382Q showed a normal cell surface residency and an enhanced affinity for Ac-LDL, resulting in an elevated Ac-LDL cellular incorporation. These results indicate that the N-glycan of Asn(393) regulates the intracellular sorting of SREC-I and that the N-glycan of Asn(382) controls ligand-binding affinity. Furthermore, we detected an enhanced trypsin sensitivity of the N289Q. Glycan structure analyses revealed that the core-fucosylated bi-antennary is the common major structure at all glycosylation sites. In addition, tri- and tetra-antennary were detected as minor constituents at Asn(289). A bisecting GlcNAc was also detected at Asn(382) and Asn(393). Structural analyses and homology modeling of SREC-I suggest that the N-glycan bearing a ß1-6GlcNAc branch at Asn(289) protects from proteinase attack and thus confers a higher stability on SREC-I. These data indicate that Asn(289)-, Asn(382)- and Asn(393)-linked N-glycans of SREC-I have distinct functions in regulating proteolytic resistance, ligand-binding affinity and subcellular localization, all of which might be involved in the development of atherogenesis.

Comparison of methods for profiling O-glycosylation: Human Proteome Organisation Human Disease Glycomics/Proteome Initiative multi-institutional study of IgA1.

The Human Proteome Organisation Human Disease Glycomics/Proteome Initiative recently coordinated a multi-institutional study that evaluated methodologies that are widely used for defining the N-glycan content in glycoproteins. The study convincingly endorsed mass spectrometry as the technique of choice for glycomic profiling in the discovery phase of diagnostic research. The present study reports the extension of the Human Disease Glycomics/Proteome Initiative's activities to an assessment of the methodologies currently used for O-glycan analysis. Three samples of IgA1 isolated from the serum of patients with multiple myeloma were distributed to 15 laboratories worldwide for O-glycomics analysis. A variety of mass spectrometric and chromatographic procedures representative of current methodologies were used. Similar to the previous N-glycan study, the results convincingly confirmed the pre-eminent performance of MS for O-glycan profiling. Two general strategies were found to give the most reliable data, namely direct MS analysis of mixtures of permethylated reduced glycans in the positive ion mode and analysis of native reduced glycans in the negative ion mode using LC-MS approaches. In addition, mass spectrometric methodologies to analyze O-glycopeptides were also successful.

[Quality Evaluation of Therapeutic Antibodies by Multi-attribute Method].

In the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), it is essential to characterize the modifications causing structural heterogeneity because certain modifications are associated with safety and efficacy. However, the rapid structural analysis of mAbs remains challenging due to their structural complexity. The multi-attribute method (MAM) is a structural analytical method based on peptide mapping using LC/MS, and has drawn attention as a new quality control method for therapeutic mAbs instead of conventional structural heterogeneity analyses using several chromatographic techniques. Peptide mapping, which is regarded as an identification test method, is used to confirm that the amino acid sequence corresponds to that deduced from the gene sequence for the desired product. In contrast, MAM is used for simultaneously monitoring the modification rates of individual amino acid residues of therapeutic mAbs, indicating that MAM is used as quantitative test rather than identification test. In this review, we summarized the typical structural heterogeneities of mAbs and the general scheme of MAM. We also introduced our optimized sample preparation method for MAM, and examples of simultaneous monitoring of several modifications including deamidation, oxidation, N-terminal pyroglutamination, C-terminal clipping and glycosylation by our MAM system.

Metal distribution in Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase revealed by native mass spectrometry.

Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is a homodimer with two identical subunits, each of which binds a copper and zinc ion in the native state. In contrast to such a text book case, SOD1 proteins purified in vitro or even in vivo have been often reported to bind a non-stoichiometric amount of the metal ions. Nonetheless, it is difficult to probe how those metal ions are distributed in the two identical subunits. By utilizing native mass spectrometry, we showed here that addition of a sub-stoichiometric copper/zinc ion to SOD1 led to the formation of a homodimer with a stochastic combination of the subunits binding 0, 1, and even 2 metal ions. We also found that the homodimer was able to bind four copper or four zinc ions, implying the binding of a copper and zinc ion at the canonical zinc and copper site, respectively. Such ambiguity in the metal quota and selectivity could be avoided when an intra-subunit disulfide bond in SOD1 was reduced before addition of the metal ions. Apo-SOD1 in the disulfide-reduced state was monomeric and was found to bind only one zinc ion per monomer. By binding a zinc ion, the disulfide-reduced SOD1 became conformationally compact and acquired the ability to dimerize. Based upon the results in vitro, we describe the pathway in vivo enabling SOD1 to bind copper and zinc ions with high accuracy in their quota and selectivity. A failure of correct metallation in SOD1 will also be discussed in relation to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Mechanistic insights into intramembrane proteolysis by E. coli site-2 protease homolog RseP.

Site-2 proteases are a conserved family of intramembrane proteases that cleave transmembrane substrates to regulate signal transduction and maintain proteostasis. Here, we elucidated crystal structures of inhibitor-bound forms of bacterial site-2 proteases including Escherichia coli RseP. Structure-based chemical modification and cross-linking experiments indicated that the RseP domains surrounding the active center undergo conformational changes to expose the substrate-binding site, suggesting that RseP has a gating mechanism to regulate substrate entry. Furthermore, mutational analysis suggests that a conserved electrostatic linkage between the transmembrane and peripheral membrane-associated domains mediates the conformational changes. In vivo cleavage assays also support that the substrate transmembrane helix is unwound by strand addition to the intramembrane ß sheet of RseP and is clamped by a conserved asparagine residue at the active center for efficient cleavage. This mechanism underlying the substrate binding, i.e., unwinding and clamping, appears common across distinct families of intramembrane proteases that cleave transmembrane segments.

Myosin motor Myo1c and its receptor NEMO/IKK-gamma promote TNF-alpha-induced serine307 phosphorylation of IRS-1.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) signaling through the IkappaB kinase (IKK) complex attenuates insulin action via the phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) at Ser307. However, the precise molecular mechanism by which the IKK complex phosphorylates IRS-1 is unknown. In this study, we report nuclear factor kappaB essential modulator (NEMO)/IKK-gamma subunit accumulation in membrane ruffles followed by an interaction with IRS-1. This intracellular trafficking of NEMO requires insulin, an intact actin cytoskeletal network, and the motor protein Myo1c. Increased Myo1c expression enhanced the NEMO-IRS-1 interaction, which is essential for TNF-alpha- induced phosphorylation of Ser307-IRS-1. In contrast, dominant inhibitory Myo1c cargo domain expression diminished this interaction and inhibited IRS-1 phosphorylation. NEMO expression also enhanced TNF-alpha-induced Ser307-IRS-1 phosphorylation and inhibited glucose uptake. In contrast, a deletion mutant of NEMO lacking the IKK-beta-binding domain or silencing NEMO blocked the TNF-alpha signal. Thus, motor protein Myo1c and its receptor protein NEMO act cooperatively to form the IKK-IRS-1 complex and function in TNF-alpha-induced insulin resistance.

Quantitation of saccharide compositions of O-glycans by mass spectrometry of glycopeptides and its application to rheumatoid arthritis.

Profiling of oligosaccharide structures is widely utilized for both identification and evaluation of glycobiomarkers, and site-specific profiling of N-linked glycans of glycoproteins is conducted by mass spectrometry of glycopeptides. However, our knowledge of mucin-type O-glycans including site occupancy and profile variance, as well as attachment sites, is quite limited. Saccharide compositions and site-occupancy of O-glycans were calculated from the signal intensity of glycopeptide ions in the mass spectra and tandem mass spectra from electron transfer dissociation. The results for two major plasma glycoproteins, IgA1 and hemopexin, representing clustered and scattered O-glycan attachments, respectively, indicated that the variability in modifications among individuals is so small as to justify rigorous standards enabling reliable detection of disease-related alterations. Indeed, this method revealed a novel abnormality associated with rheumatoid arthritis: a significant decrease in the N-acetylgalactosamine content of IgA1 O-glycans, indicating that the glycosylation abnormality is not limited to hypogalactosylation of IgG N-glycans in chronic inflammatory conditions.

Role of C-mannosylation in the secretion of mindin.

BACKGROUND: Mindin (spondin2), a secretory protein related to neural development and immunity, is a member of thrombospondin type I repeat (TSR) superfamily proteins, and has a unique glycosylation of C-mannosylation in its structure. However, it remains unclear whether C-mannosylation plays a functional role in the biosynthesis of mindin in cells. METHODS: Protein C-mannosylation was analyzed by mass spectrometry. Mindin expression was examined by immunoblot and immunofluorescence analyses in COS-7 cells transfected with the expression vectors for wild type (mindin-WT) or C-mannosylation-defective mutant of mindin (mindin-mutF). The redox status was examined in mindin by using 4-acetoamide-4'-maleimidylstilbene-2,2'-disulfonate. RESULTS: When mindin cDNA was expressed in COS-7 cells, C-mannosylation of mindin was confirmed at Trp257 by mass spectrometry. In cells expressing a mindin-mutF, secretion of the mutant was significantly inhibited compared with mindin-WT. In immunofluorescence analysis, mindin-mutF was accumulated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas mindin-WT was detected in the Golgi. In addition, mindin-mutF showed an enhanced interaction with calreticulin, an ER-resident chaperone, in cells. In cells, reduced forms were increased in mindin-mutF, compared with a mostly oxidized form of mindin-WT. In the presence of chemical chaperones such as dimethylsulfoxide or 4-phenylbutyrate, inhibited secretion of mindin-mutF was ameliorated in cells, although redox-dependent folding was not affected. CONCLUSIONS: C-Mannosylation of mindin facilitates its secretion especially through modulating disulfide bond formation in mindin in cells. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that C-mannosylation plays a functional role in the redox-dependent folding and transport of TSR superfamily proteins in cells.

Distinct features of matrix-assisted 6 microm infrared laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry in biomolecular analysis.

Midinfrared-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (mid-IR-MALDI MS) with a laser emission in the 6 microm wavelength range, which utilizes energy absorption at the C=O double-bond stretch region, was applied to biomolecular analysis. The softness of IR-MALDI MS was evident in the negative ion mode yielding clean mass spectra of [M - H](-) ions for acidic biomolecules with sulfate, phosphate, or carboxylate groups, resulting in better sensitivity than ultraviolet (UV)-MALDI MS. There was no substantial loss of sialic acid due to the prompt fragmentation occurring in IR-MALDI of sialylated glycoconjugates such as gangliosides. Furthermore, the advantage of the low photon energy of IR is that, for the first time, intact protonated molecules of S-nitrosylated peptides can be detected by MALDI MS. In the analysis of redox-sensitive molecules including methylene blue and riboflavin, reductive hydrogenation was minimal, suggesting few hydrogen radicals to have formed in the plume, in contrast to UV-MALDI. In conjunction with a potent new matrix, oxamide, requiring smaller laser fluence, distinct features of the 6 microm IR wavelength range are anticipated to remove one of the limitations of MALDI MS for biomolecular analysis.

Evaluation of IgA1 O-glycosylation in Henoch-Schönlein Purpura Nephritis Using Mass Spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: Glomerular deposition of IgA1 is a common feature of Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) and is indistinguishable from that seen in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Serum IgA1 is abnormally O-glycosylated in IgA nephropathy, which may contribute to the development of glomerular injury. Abnormal O-glycosylated IgA1 was also detected in HSPN using lectin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; however, this method cannot provide the exact structural information of O-glycans. Mass spectrometry is an effective means of quantification of O-glycans, and there is no report to evaluate IgA1 O-glycans in HSPN using mass spectrometry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated O-glycosylation profile in serum IgA1 from 7 HSPN recipients, 26 IgAN recipients, 25 recipients with other kidney diseases (OKDs), and 26 normal healthy donors using mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Of the 14 GalNac-Gal combinations detected using mass spectrometry, the percentage of the only 6GalNAc-2Gal combination was significantly different between HSPN and IgAN. The percentage of GalNAc 3 in HSPN recipients was significantly higher than that in OKDs recipients and healthy donors (P = .0027 and P < .0001, respectively). Inversely, the percentage of GalNAc 5 in HSPN recipients was significantly lower than that in OKDs recipients and healthy donors (P = .0008, P < .0001, respectively). Moreover, the Gal content and the Gal/GalNAc ratio of HSPN recipients were significantly lower than OKDs recipients and healthy donors. CONCLUSIONS: Examination of Henoch-Schönlein purpura recipients revealed that the number of GalNAc fell and the Gal attachment to GalNAc was reduced compared to other kidney diseases and healthy donors. The IgA1 O-glycosylation profile of HSPN was very similar to that of IgAN.

Oligosaccharide profiles of the prostate specific antigen in free and complexed forms from the prostate cancer patient serum and in seminal plasma: a glycopeptide approach.

The oligosaccharide structures of prostate specific antigen (PSA) are expected to be useful in discriminating prostate cancer from benign conditions both accompanied by increased serum PSA levels. A large proportion of PSA forms a covalent complex with a glycoprotein, alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin, in human blood. In the present study, the glycan profiles of free and complexed forms of PSA from cancer patient serum and of seminal plasma PSA were compared by analyzing the glycopeptides obtained by lysylendopeptidase digestion of the electrophoretically separated PSA with mass spectrometry. The profiles of the PSA N-glycans from the free and complexed molecules were quite similar to each other and consisted of fucosylated biantennary oligosaccharides as the major class. They were mostly sialylated, and a considerable sialic acid fraction was alpha2,3-linked as determined by Streptococcus pneumoniae neuraminidase digestion of the glycopeptides. In the seminal plasma PSA, high-mannose and hybrid types of oligosaccharides were predominant, and the sialic acids attached to the latter as well as to biantennary oligosaccahrides were exclusively alpha2,6-linked because they were removed by Arthrobacter ureafaciens neuraminidase but resistant to S. pneumoniae neuraminidase. Complex-type oligosaccharides from other sources were found in the seminal plasma sample, indicating that analysis of released glycans carries a risk of being misleading. The results suggest that identification of alpha2,3-linked sialic acids on PSA potentially discriminates malignant from benign conditions, if the analysis is applied to oligosaccharides specifically attached to the N-glycosylation site of PSA in either a free or a complexed form in the serum.