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Human interleukin 15 (IL-15) circulates in blood as a stable molecular complex with the soluble IL-15 receptor alpha (sIL-15Rα). This heterodimeric IL-15:sIL-15Rα complex (hetIL-15) shows therapeutic potential by promoting the growth, mobilization and activation of lymphocytes and is currently evaluated in clinical trials. Favorable pharmacokinetic properties are associated with the heterodimeric formation and the glycosylation of hetIL-15, which, however, remains largely uncharacterized. We report the site-specific N- and O-glycosylation of two clinically relevant large-scale preparations of HEK293-derived recombinant human hetIL-15. Intact IL-15 and sIL-15Rα and derived glycans and glycopeptides were separately profiled using multiple LC-MS/MS strategies. IL-15 Asn79 and sIL-15Rα Asn107 carried the same repertoire of biosynthetically-related N-glycans covering mostly α1-6-core-fucosylated and β-GlcNAc-terminating complex-type structures. The two potential IL-15 N-glycosylation sites (Asn71 and Asn112) located at the IL-2 receptor interface were unoccupied. Mass analysis of intact IL-15 confirmed its N-glycosylation and suggested that Asn79-glycosylation partially prevents Asn77-deamidation. IL-15 contained no O-glycans, whereas sIL-15Rα was heavily O-glycosylated with partially sialylated core 1 and 2-type mono- to hexasaccharides on Thr2, Thr81, Thr86, Thr156, Ser158, and Ser160. The sialoglycans displayed α2-3- and α2-6-NeuAc-type sialylation. Non-human, potentially immunogenic glycoepitopes (e.g. N-glycolylneuraminic acid and α-galactosylation) were not displayed by hetIL-15. Highly reproducible glycosylation of IL-15 and sIL-15Rα of two batches of hetIL-15 demonstrated consistent manufacturing and purification. In conclusion, we document the heterogeneous and reproducible N- and O-glycosylation of large-scale preparations of the therapeutic candidate hetIL-15. Site-specific mapping of these molecular features is important to evaluate the consistent large-scale production and clinical efficacy of hetIL-15.

Desalting of sugar samples is essential for the success of many techniques of carbohydrate analysis such as mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis, anion exchange chromatography, enzyme degradation and chemical derivatization. All desalting methods which are currently used have limitations: for example, mixed-bed ion-exchange columns risk the loss of charged sugars, precipitation of salt by a non-aqueous solvent can result in co-precipitation of oligosaccharides, and gel chromatography uses highly crosslinked packings in which separation of small oligosaccharides is difficult to achieve. We demonstrate that graphitized carbon as a solid phase extraction cartridge can be used for the purification of oligosaccharides (or their derivatives) from solutions containing one or more of the following contaminants: salts (including salts of hydroxide, acetate, phosphate), monosaccharides, detergents (sodium dodecyl sulfate and Triton X-100), protein (including enzymes) and reagents for the release of oligosaccharides from glycoconjugates (such as hydrazine and sodium borohydride). There is complete recovery of the oligosaccharides from the adsorbent which can also be used to fractionate acidic and neutral glycans. Specific applications such as clean-up of N-linked oligosaccharides after removal by PNGase F and hydrazine, desalting of O-linked glycans after removal by alkali, on-line desalting of HPAEC-separated oligosaccharides and beta-eliminated alditols prior to electrospray mass spectrometry, and purification of oligosaccharides from urine are described.

The characterization of site-specific glycosylation is traditionally dependent on the availability of suitable proteolytic cleavage sites between each glycosylated residue, so that peptides containing individual glycosylation sites are recovered. In the case of heavily glycosylated domains such as the O-glycosylated mucins, which have no available protease sites, this approach is not possible. Here we introduce a new method to gain site-specific compositional data on the oligosaccharides attached to a single amino acid. Using a model glycopeptide from a mutant human albumin Casebrook, glycosylated PTH-Asn was recovered after sequential solid-phase Edman degradation, subjected to acid hydrolysis and the sugars were identified by high performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. The PTH-Asn(Sac) derivative was further characterized by ionspray mass spectrometry. Comparison between an endoproteinase Glu-C glycopeptide and a tryptic glycopeptide showed that the oligosaccharide attached to Asn494 was stable after at least 10 cycles of Edman degradation.

A simple procedure is described for the elimination of O-linked glycans from bovine submaxillary mucin under non-reducing conditions, using triethylamine in aqueous hydrazine. The glycans were isolated as the hydrazones, which were converted to the reducing glycans by exchange with acetone in neutral aqueous solution. The glycan alditols obtained after reduction corresponded to those obtained by the reductive beta-elimination of O-glycans.