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Paucimannosidic glycans are restricted to the core structure [Man1–3GlcNAc2Fuc0–1] of N-glycans and are rarely found in mammalian tissues. Yet, especially [Man2-3GlcNAc2Fuc1] have been found significantly upregulated in tumors, including in colorectal and liver cancer. Mannitou IgM is a murine monoclonal antibody that was previously shown to recognize Man3GlcNAc2 with an almost exclusive selectivity. Here, we have sought the definition of the minimal glycan epitope of Mannitou IgM, initiated by screening on a newly designed paucimannosidic glycan microarray; among the best binders were Man3GlcNAc2 and its α1,6 core-fucosylated variant, Man3GlcNAc2Fuc1. Unexpectedly and in contrast to earlier findings, Man5GlcNAc2-type structures bind equally well and a large tolerance was observed for substitutions on the α1,6 arm. It was confirmed that any substitution on the single α1,3-linked mannose completely abolishes binding. Surface plasmon resonance for kinetic measurements of Mannitou IgM binding, either directly on the glycans or as presented on omega-1 and kappa-5 soluble egg antigens from the helminth parasite Schistosoma mansoni, showed submicromolar affinities. To characterize the epitope in greater and atomic detail, saturation transfer difference nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed with the Mannitou antigen-binding fragment. The STD-NMR data demonstrated the strongest interactions with the aliphatic protons H1 and H2 of the α1–3-linked mannose and weaker imprints on its H3, H4 and H5 protons. In conclusion, Mannitou IgM binding requires a nonsubstituted α1,3-linked mannose branch of paucimannose also on proteins, making it a highly specific tool for the distinction of concurrent human tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens.

A crystal-clear ingredient for allergy? Charcot-Leyden crystals (CLCs) are formed from the eosinophil granule protein galectin-10 (Gal10) and found in severe eosinophil-associated diseases like asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis. Whether CLCs actively contribute to disease pathogenesis is unknown. Persson et al. found that lab-grown Gal10 crystals are biosimilar to CLCs (see the Perspective by Allen and Sutherland). When given to mice, the crystals acted as a type 2 adjuvant, mimicking many of the features of human asthma. In contrast, a Gal10 mutein unable to crystallize had no effect. Antibodies against epitopes crucial for Gal10 autocrystallization could dissolve both in vitro–generated Gal10 crystals and patient-derived CLCs. Furthermore, these anti-Gal10 antibodies reversed the effects of Gal10 crystals in a humanized mouse model of asthma, suggesting a potential therapeutic approach for crystallopathies more broadly. Science , this issue p. eaaw4295 ; see also p. 738

Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT, E.C. 2.3.2.2) catalyzes the hydrolysis and transpeptidation of extracellular glutathione. Due to its central role in maintaining mammalian glutathione homeostasis, GGT is now believed to be a valuable drug target for a variety of life-threatening diseases, such as cancer. Unfortunately, however, effective tools for screening GGT inhibitors are still lacking. We report here the synthesis and evaluation of an alpha-phenylthio-containing glutathione peptide mimic that eliminates thiophenol upon GGT-catalyzed hydrolysis of the gamma-glutamyl peptide bond. The concurrent, real-time spectrophotometric quantification of the released thiophenol using Ellman's reagent creates a GGT assay format that is simple, robust, and highly sensitive. The versatility of the assay has been demonstrated by its application to the kinetic characterization of equine kidney GGT, and enzyme inhibition assays. The ability of the glutathione mimic to behave as an excellent donor substrate (exhibiting Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a K(m) of 11.3+/-0.5 microM and a k(cat) of 90.1+/-0.8 nmol mg(-1)min(-1)), coupled to the assay's ability to study the hydrolysis-only mode of the GGT-catalyzed reaction, make our approach amenable to high-throughput drug screening platforms.

Background The Gram-negative bacterium Haemophilus influenzae is a glutathione auxotroph and acquires the redox-active tripeptide by import. The dedicated glutathione transporter belongs to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC)-transporter superfamily and displays more than 60% overall sequence identity with the well-studied dipeptide (Dpp) permease of Escherichia coli. The solute binding protein (SBP) that mediates glutathione transport in H. influenzae is a lipoprotein termed GbpA and is 54% identical to E. coli DppA, a well-studied member of family 5 SBP's. The discovery linking GbpA to glutathione import came rather unexpectedly as this import-priming SBP was previously annotated as a heme-binding protein (HbpA), and was thought to mediate heme acquisition. Nonetheless, although many SBP's have been implicated in more than one function, a prominent physiological role for GbpA and its partner permease in heme acquisition appears to be very unlikely. Here, we sought to characterize five representative GbpA homologs in an effort to delineate the novel GbpA-family of glutathione-specific family 5 SBPs and to further clarify their functional role in terms of ligand preferences. Results Lipoprotein and non-lipoprotein GbpA homologs were expressed in soluble form and substrate specificity was evaluated via a number of ligand binding assays. A physiologically insignificant affinity for hemin was observed for all five GbpA homologous test proteins. Three out of five test proteins were found to bind glutathione and some of its physiologically relevant derivatives with low- or submicromolar affinity. None of the tested SBP family 5 allocrites interacted with the remaining two GbpA test proteins. Structure-based sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis show that the two binding-inert GbpA homologs clearly form a separate phylogenetic cluster. To elucidate a structure-function rationale for this phylogenetic differentiation, we determined the crystal structure of one of the GbpA family outliers from H. parasuis. Comparisons thereof with the previously determined structure of GbpA in complex with oxidized glutathione reveals the structural basis for the lack of allocrite binding capacity, thereby explaining the outlier behavior. Conclusions Taken together, our studies provide for the first time a collective functional look on a novel, Pasteurellaceae-specific, SBP subfamily of glutathione binding proteins, which we now term GbpA proteins. Our studies strongly implicate GbpA family SBPs in the priming step of ABC-transporter-mediated translocation of useful forms of glutathione across the inner membrane, and rule out a general role for GbpA proteins in heme acquisition.