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Lectins from plants of the Diocleinae subtribe often exhibit specificity towards mannose/glucose and derived sugars, with some plants also displaying a second lectin specific to lactose/GalNAc. Here, we present a novel lectin from Collaea speciosa, named CsL, that displays specificity for GlcNAc/glucose. The lectin was extracted from Collaea speciosa seeds and purified by a single chromatographic step on a Sephadex G-50 matrix. In solution, the lectin appears as a dimeric protein composed of 25 kDa monomers. The protein is stable at pH 7–8 and dependent on divalent cations. CsL maintained its agglutination activity after heating to 90 °C for 1 h. Glycan array studies revealed that CsL binds to N-glycans with terminal GlcNAc residues, chitobiose and chitotriose moieties. The partial amino acid sequence of the lectin is similar to that of some lactose-specific lectins from the same subtribe. In contrast to other ConA-like lectins, CsL is not toxic to Artemia. Because of its remarkably different properties and specificity, this lectin could be the first member of a new group inside the Diocleinae lectins.

The journal of biological chemistry 299(5), 104627 (2023). doi:10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104627, The FimH type-1 fimbrial adhesin allows pathogenic Escherichia coli to adhere to glycoproteins in the epithelial linings of human bladder and intestinal tract, by using multiple fimbriae simultaneously. Pauci- and high-mannose type N-glycans are natural FimH receptors on those glycoproteins. Oligomannose-3 and oligomannose-5 bind with the highest affinity to FimH by using the same Manα1,3Man branch. Oligomannose-6 is generated from oligomannose-5 in the next step of the biogenesis of high-mannose N-glycans, by the transfer of a mannose in α1,2-linkage onto this branch. Using serial crystallography and by measuring the kinetics of binding, we demonstrate that shielding the high-affinity epitope drives the binding of multiple FimH molecules. First, we profiled FimH glycan binding on a microarray containing paucimannosidic N-glycans and in a FimH LEctPROFILE assay. To make the transition to oligomannose-6, we measured the kinetics of FimH binding using paucimannosidic N-glycans, glycoproteins and all four α-dimannosides conjugated to bovine serum albumin. Equimolar mixed interfaces of the dimannosides present in oligomannose-6 and molecular dynamics simulations suggest a positive cooperativity in the bivalent binding of Manα1,3Manα1 and Manα1,6Manα1 dimannosides. The binding of core α1,6-fucosylated oligomannose-3 in cocrystals of FimH is monovalent but interestingly the GlcNAc1—Fuc moiety retains highly flexibility. In cocrystals with oligomannose-6, two FimH bacterial adhesins bind the Manα1,3Manα1 and Manα1,6Manα1 endings of the second trimannose core (A-4′-B). This cooperative switch towards bivalent binding appears sustainable beyond a molar excess of oligomannose-6. Our findings provide important novel structural insights for the design of multivalent FimH antagonists that bind with positive cooperativity., Published by Soc., Bethesda, Md.

The Dalbergieae lectin group encompasses several lectins with significant differences in their carbohydrate specificities and biological properties. The current work reports on the purification and characterization of a GalNAc/Gal-specific lectin from Vataireopsis araroba (Aguiar) Ducke, designated as VaL. The lectin was purified from the seeds in a single step using guar gum affinity chromatography. The lectin migrated as a single band of about 35 kDa on SDS-PAGE and, in native conditions, occurs as a homodimer. The purified lectin is stable at temperatures up to 60 degrees C and in a pH range from 7 to 8 and requires divalent cations for its activity. Sugar-inhibition assays demonstrate the lectin specificity towards N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, D-galactose and related sugars. Furthermore, glycan array analyses show that VaL interacts preferentially with glycans containing terminal GalNAc/Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc. Biological activity assays were performed using three insect cell lines: CF1 midgut cells from the spruce budworm Choristoneura fumiferana, S2 embryo cells from the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, and GutAW midgut cells from the corn earworm Helicoverpa zea. In vitro assays indicated a biostatic effect for VaL on CF1 cells, but not on S2 and GutAW cells. The lectin presented a biostatic effect by reducing the cell growth and inducing cell agglutination, suggesting an interaction with glycans on the cell surface. VaL has been characterized as a galactoside-specific lectin of the Dalbergieae tribe, with sequence similarity to lectins from Vatairea and Arachis.

The molecular recognition features of LSECtin toward asymmetric N-glycans have been scrutinized by NMR and compared to those occurring in glycan microarrays. A pair of positional glycan isomers (LDN3 and LDN6), a nonelongated GlcNAc4Man3 N-glycan (G0), and the minimum binding epitope (the GlcNAcβ1-2Man disaccharide) have been used to shed light on the preferred binding modes under both experimental conditions. Strikingly, both asymmetric LDN3 and LDN6 Nglycans are recognized by LSECtin with similar affinities in solution, in sharp contrast to the results obtained when those glycans are presented on microarrays, where only LDN6 was efficiently recognized by the lectin. Thus, different results can be obtained using different experimental approaches, pointing out the tremendous difficulty of translating in vitro results to the in vivo environment.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a growing need to characterise the disease. A very important aspect is the ability to measure the immunisation extent, which can be achieved using antigen microarrays that quantitively measure the presence of COVID-related antibodies. A significant limitation for these tests was the complexity of manually analysing the results, and the limited availability of software for its analysis. In this paper, we describe the development of COVID-BIOCHIP, an ad-hoc web-based solution for the automatic analysis and visualisation of COVID-19 antigen microarray data results.

The HIV-1 Envelope glycoprotein (Env) is the sole target for broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs). Env is heavily glycosylated with host-derived N-glycans, and many bnAbs bind to, or are dependent upon, Env glycans for neutralization. Although glycan-binding bnAbs are frequently detected in HIV-infected individuals, attempts to elicit them have been unsuccessful because of the poor immunogenicity of Env N-glycans. Here, we report cross-reactivity of glycan-binding bnAbs with self- and non-self N-glycans and glycoprotein antigens from different life-stages of Schistosoma mansoni. Using the IAVI Protocol C HIV infection cohort, we examine the relationship between S. mansoni seropositivity and development of bnAbs targeting glycan-dependent epitopes. We show that the unmutated common ancestor of the N332/V3-specific bnAb lineage PCDN76, isolated from an HIV-infected donor with S. mansoni seropositivity, binds to S. mansoni cercariae while lacking reactivity to gp120. Overall, these results present a strategy for elicitation of glycan-reactive bnAbs which could be exploited in HIV-1 vaccine development., This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under grant agreement 681137 (to K.J.D. and I.H.), the Medical Research Council (MRC) (to K.J.D. [MR/K024426/1]), The Rosetrees Trust (to K.J.D. [M686]) and Fondation Dormeur, Vaduz (to K.J.D). This research was funded or supported by the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London and/or the NIHR Clinical Research Facility. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Health Service (NHS), the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), or the Department of Health. N.R. acknowledges funding from Ministry of Science and Education grants CTQ2017-90039-R, RTC-2017-6126-1, and CTQ2011-27874 (fellowship to K.B.) and the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program from the Spanish State Research Agency (grant MDM-2017-0720). F.A. was funded by the Wellcome Trust (104958/Z/14/Z). J.A. was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the grant PID2019-109395GB-I00. J.A. and S.M. acknowledge support of BBSRC (grant BB/P010660/1). T.H. and S.W. were funded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Norwich Research Park Doctoral Training Grant BB/M011216/1. IAVI’s work is made possible by generous support from many donors, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Irish Aid, the Ministry of Finance of Japan in partnership with The World Bank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), and the United States Agency for International Development. The full list of IAVI donors is available at www.iavi.org. Brendan McAtarsney and Jonathan Hare from the IAVI Human Immunology Lab (HIL) for coordinating the samples transfers and shipments. Monica Agromayor and the KCL Nikon Centre for assistance and advice on confocal microscopy. NMRI strain Schistosoma mansoni-infected Biomphalaria glabrata snails were provided by the NIAID Schistosomiasis Resource Center, Rockville, USA.

Resumen Este artículo examina el fenómeno de la objeción de conciencia (OC) a los servicios de aborto legal en Argentina, Uruguay y Colombia. Basado en relatos obtenidos a través de entrevistas, el análisis toma distancia de aquellos enfocados en diferenciar entre OC y barreras al servicio, o en identificar si las razones de objeción son verdaderas o válidas. Partiendo del hecho de que en muy pocos casos las/los objetoras/es están al tanto de las definiciones legales de la OC, se busca entender los significados que las/los entrevistadas/os le atribuyeron, y desde los cuales organizan su práctica médica, y justifican su negación a prestar servicios de aborto. En los tres países las/los entrevistadas/os se oponían principalmente a que fueran las mujeres quienes tomaran la decisión de qué embarazos interrumpir, y cómo y cuándo hacerlo. Los discursos contingentes a través de los cuales las/os médicas/os construyen las racionalidades de su OC están hechos, sobre todo, de un incuestionado apego al control de los cuerpos con capacidad de gestar; y de entendidos médico-sociales de las mujeres como inexorablemente madres, máquinas de reproducción o soportes vitales de fetos.

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.

FUT8 is an essential alpha-1,6-fucosyltransferase that fucosylates the innermost GlcNAc of N-glycans, a process called core fucosylation. In vitro, FUT8 exhibits substrate preference for the biantennary complex N-glycan oligosaccharide (G0), but the role of the underlying protein/peptide to which N-glycans are attached remains unclear. Here, we explored the FUT8 enzyme with a series of N-glycan oligosaccharides, N-glycopeptides, and an Asn-linked oligosaccharide. We found that the underlying peptide plays a role in fucosylation of paucimannose (low mannose) and high-mannose N-glycans but not for complex-type N-glycans. Using saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy, we demonstrate that FUT8 recognizes all sugar units of the G0 N-glycan and most of the amino acid residues (Asn-X-Thr) that serve as a recognition sequon for the oligosaccharyltransferase (OST). The largest STD signals were observed in the presence of GDP, suggesting that prior FUT8 binding to GDP-beta-L-fucose (GDP-Fuc) is required for an optimal recognition of N-glycans. We applied genetic engineering of glycosylation capacities in CHO cells to evaluate FUT8 core fucosylation of high-mannose and complex-type N-glycans in cells with a panel of well-characterized therapeutic N-glycoproteins. This confirmed that core fucosylation mainly occurs on complex-type N-glycans, although clearly only at selected glycosites. Eliminating the capacity for complex-type glycosylation in cells (KO mgat1) revealed that glycosites with complex-type N-glycans when converted to high mannose lost the core Fuc. Interestingly, however, for erythropoietin that is uncommon among the tested glycoproteins in efficiently acquiring tetra-antennary N-glycans, two out of three N-glycosites obtained Fuc on the high-mannose N-glycans. An examination of the N-glycosylation sites of several protein crystal structures indicates that core fucosylation is mostly affected by the accessibility and nature of the N-glycan and not by the nature of the underlying peptide sequence. These data have further elucidated the different FUT8 acceptor substrate specificities both in vitro and in vivo in cells, revealing different mechanisms for promoting core fucosylation.

Several plant lectins, or carbohydrate-binding proteins, interact with glycan moieties on the surface of immune cells, thereby influencing the immune response of these cells. Orysata, a mannose-binding lectin from rice, has been reported to exert immunomodulatory activities on insect cells. While the natural lectin is non-glycosylated, recombinant Orysata produced in the yeast Pichia pastoris (YOry) is modified with a hyper-mannosylated N-glycan. Since it is unclear whether this glycosylation can affect the YOry activity, non-glycosylated rOrysata was produced in Escherichia coli (BOry). In a comparative analysis, both recombinant Orysata proteins were tested for their carbohydrate specificity on a glycan array, followed by the investigation of the carbohydrate-dependent agglutination of red blood cells (RBCs) and the carbohydrate-independent immune responses in Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells. Although YOry and BOry showed a similar carbohydrate-binding profiles, lower concentration of BOry were sufficient for the agglutination of RBCs and BOry induced stronger immune responses in S2 cells. The data are discussed in relation to different hypotheses explaining the weaker responses of glycosylated YOry. In conclusion, these observations contribute to the understanding how post-translational modification can affect protein function, and provide guidance in the selection of the proper expression system for the recombinant production of lectins.

International audience; C-type lectin receptor (CLR)/carbohydrate recognition occurs through low affinity interactions. Nature compensates that weakness by multivalent display of the lectin carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) at the cell surface. Mimicking these low affinity interactions in vitro is essential to better understand CLR/glycan interactions. Here, we present a strategy to create a generic construct with a tetrameric presentation of the CRD for any CLR, termed TETRALEC. We applied our strategy to a naturally occurring tetrameric CRD, DC-SIGNR, and compared the TETRALEC ligand binding capacity by synthetic N- and O-glycans microarray using three different DC-SIGNR constructs i) its natural tetrameric counterpart, ii) the monomeric CRD and iii) a dimeric Fc-CRD fusion. DC-SIGNR TETRALEC construct showed a similar binding profile to that of its natural tetrameric counterpart. However, differences observed in recognition of low affinity ligands underlined the importance of the CRD spatial arrangement. Moreover, we further extended the applications of DC-SIGNR TETRALEC to evaluate CLR/pathogens interactions. This construct was able to recognize heat-killed Candida albicans by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy, a so far unreported specificity of DC-SIGNR. In summary, the newly developed DC-SIGNR TETRALEC tool proved to be useful to unravel novel CLR/glycan interactions, an approach which could be applied to other CLRs.

DNA damage activated by Adriamycin (ADR) promotes ubiquitin–proteasome system-mediated proteolysis by stimulating both the activity of ubiquitylating enzymes and the proteasome. In ADR-resistant breast cancer MCF7 (MCF7ADR) cells, protein ubiquitylation is significantly reduced compared to the parental MCF7 cells. Here, we used tandem ubiquitin-binding entities (TUBEs) to analyze the ubiquitylation pattern observed in MCF7 or MCF7ADR cells. While in MCF7, the level of total ubiquitylation increased up to six-fold in response to ADR, in MCF7ADR cells only a two-fold response was found. To further explore these differences, we looked for cellular factors presenting ubiquitylation defects in MCF7ADR cells. Among them, we found the tumor suppressor p53 and its ubiquitin ligase, Mdm2. We also observed a drastic decrease of proteins known to integrate the TUBE-associated ubiquitin proteome after ADR treatment of MCF7 cells, like histone H2AX, HMGB1 or β-tubulin. Only the proteasome inhibitor MG132, but not the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine partially recovers the levels of total protein ubiquitylation in MCF7ADR cells. p53 ubiquitylation is markedly increased in MCF7ADR cells after proteasome inhibition or a short treatment with the isopeptidase inhibitor PR619, suggesting an active role of these enzymes in the regulation of this tumor suppressor. Notably, MG132 alone increases apoptosis of MCF7ADR and multidrug resistant ovarian cancer A2780DR1 and A2780DR2 cells. Altogether, our results highlight the use of ubiquitylation defects to predict resistance to ADR and underline the potential of proteasome inhibitors to treat these chemoresistant cells.

We herein propose the use of fluoroacetamide and difluoroacetamide moieties as sensitive tags for the detection of sugar–protein interactions by simple 1H and/or 19F NMR spectroscopy methods. In this process, we have chosen the binding of N,N′‐diacetyl chitobiose, a ubiquitous disaccharide fragment in glycoproteins, by wheat‐germ agglutinin (WGA), a model lectin. By using saturation‐transfer difference (STD)‐NMR spectroscopy, we experimentally demonstrate that, under solution conditions, the molecule that contained the CHF2CONH‐ moiety is the stronger aromatic binder, followed by the analogue with the CH2FCONH‐ group and the natural molecule (with the CH3CONH‐ fragment). In contrast, the molecule with the CF3CONH‐ isoster displayed the weakest intermolecular interaction (one order of magnitude weaker). Because sugar–aromatic CH–π interactions are at the origin of these observations, these results further contribute to the characterization and exploration of these forces and offer an opportunity to use them to unravel complex recognition processes.

2D Materials ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT • The following article is Open access Mass spectrometry of carbohydrate-protein interactions on a glycan array conjugated to CVD graphene surfaces Juan Pedro Merino1, Sonia Serna2 , Alejandro Criado3, Alba Centeno4 , Ilargi Napal5, Javier Calvo1, Amaia Zurutuza6, Niels Reichardt1 and Maurizio Prato7 Accepted Manuscript online 11 December 2019 • © 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd What is an Accepted Manuscript? Download Accepted Manuscript PDF Turn on MathJax Share this article Article information Abstract Mass spectrometry (MS) is a valuable tool for functional genomic, proteomic, and glycomic studies. Particularly, the combination of MS with microarrays is a powerful technique for analyzing the activity of carbohydrate processing enzymes and for the identification of carbohydrate-binding proteins (lectins) in complex matrices. On the other hand; graphene exhibits high desorption/ionization efficiency, good conductivity and optical transparency, specifications of a high-performance component for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) platforms. Besides, the chemical functionalization of graphene increases the adsorption capability of functional biomolecules (e.g. receptors), resulting in very stable interfaces. Taking advantage of the properties of graphene, we developed several modified chemical vapor deposited graphene (CVDG)-based glycan arrays on different substrates including ITO and bare glass, as a potential sensing platform for carbohydrate-lectin interactions, which are involved in a plethora of biological processes The glycan arrays were fully characterized by MALDI-MS analysis and, in some cases, optical microscopy.

A solution-phase enzymatic assay has been developed to track bacterial glycosyl hydrolase activity by surface-assisted MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Lactose was equipped with an azide-functionalized linker and was supplemented to bacterial cultures as an artificial substrate for bacterial β-galactosidase enzyme. The azide linked glycoside probe was then covalently captured on an alkyne-functionalized indium tin oxide sample plate via a bio-orthogonal copper-catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The noncovalent immobilization of the alkyne capture tag via hydrophobic interactions on the ITO-sample plate allowed the analysis of the probe conjugate by surface-based mass spectrometry. The ratio of digested to nondigested lactose probe was then employed as a measure for bacterial hydrolase activity, which correlated well with bacterial growth measured by optical density. In addition, we established in a proof of concept experiment that the setup was well suited to identify antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial strains with a performance comparable to current state-of-the-art methods. While the proof of concept version is limited to the identification of a single enzyme activity, we envisage that the use of multiple substrate probes in a multiplexed version will allow the quantification of various glycosyl hydrolase activities with clinical relevance in a single experiment.

Here, we describe a strategy for the rapid preparation of pure positional isomers of complex N-glycans to complement an existing array comprising a larger number of N-glycans and smaller glycan structures. The expanded array was then employed to study context-dependent binding of structural glycan fragments by monoclonal antibodies and C-type lectins. A partial enzymatic elongation of semiprotected core structures was combined with the protecting-group-aided separation of positional isomers by preparative HPLC. This methodology, which avoids the laborious chemical differentiation of antennae, was employed for the preparation of eight biantennary N-glycans with Galβ1,4GlcNAc (LN), GalNAcβ1,4GlcNAc (LDN), and GalNAcβ1,4[Fucα1,3]GlcNAc (LDNF) motifs presented on either one or both antennae. Screening of the binding specificities of three anti-LeX monoclonal IgM antibodies raised against S. mansoni glycans and three C-type lectin receptors of the innate immune system, namely DC-SIGN, DC-SIGNR, and LSECtin, revealed a surprising context-dependent fine specificity for the recognition of the glycan motifs. Moreover, we observed a striking selection of one individual positional isomer over the other by the C-type lectins tested, underscoring the biological relevance of the structural context of glycan elements in molecular recognition.

Carbohydrates participate in almost every aspect of biology from protein sorting to modulating cell differentiation and cell-cell interactions. To date, the majority of data gathered on glycan expression has been obtained via analysis with either anti-glycan antibodies or lectins. A detailed understanding of the specificities of these reagents is critical to the analysis of carbohydrates in biological systems. Glycan microarrays are increasingly used to determine the binding specificity of glycan-binding proteins (GBPs). In this study, six different glycan microarray platforms with different modes of glycan presentation were compared using five well-known lectins; concanavalin A, Helix pomatia agglutinin, Maackia amurensis lectin I, Sambucus nigra agglutinin and wheat germ agglutinin. A new method (universal threshold) was developed to facilitate systematic comparisons across distinct array platforms. The strongest binders of each lectin were identified using the universal threshold across all platforms while identification of weaker binders was influenced by platform-specific factors including presentation of determinants, array composition and self-reported thresholding methods. This work compiles a rich dataset for comparative analysis of glycan array platforms and has important implications for the implementation of microarrays in the characterization of GBPs.

Myeloid C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) expressed by antigen-presenting cells are pattern-recognition receptors involved in the recognition of pathogens as well as of self-antigens. The interaction of carbohydrate ligands with a CLR can trigger immune responses. Although several CLR ligands are known, there is limited insight into CLR targeting by carbohydrate ligands. The weak affinity of lectin-carbohydrate interactions often renders multivalent carbohydrate presentation necessary. Here, we have analyzed the impact of multivalent presentation of the trisaccharide Lewis X (Le(X) ) epitope on its interaction with the CLR macrophage galactose-type lectin-1 (MGL-1). Glycan arrays, including N-glycan structures with terminal Le(X) , were prepared by enzymatic extension of immobilized synthetic core structures with two recombinant glycosyltransferases. Incubation of arrays with an MGL-1-hFc fusion protein showed up to tenfold increased binding to multiantennary N-glycans displaying Le(X) structures, compared to monovalent Le(X) trisaccharide. Multivalent presentation of Le(X) on the model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) led to increased cytokine production in a dendritic cell /T cell coculture system. Furthermore, immunization of mice with Le(X) -OVA conjugates modulated cytokine production and the humoral response, compared to OVA alone. This study provides insights into how multivalent carbohydrate-lectin interactions can be exploited to modulate immune responses.

Ligand libraries can be printed onto a sandwich composed of activated lipids embedded in a hydrophobic layer conjugated to an indium-tin oxide (ITO) surface. Arrays produced this way can be analyzed by fluorescence spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Applications include the assignment of enzyme specificity, the profiling of glycoforms and the identification of lectins.

International audience; Analyzing protein ubiquitylation changes during physiological or pathological processes is challenging due to its high reversibility and dynamic turnover of modified targets. We have developed a protein microarray to assess endogenous ubiquitylation levels from cell cultures, employing tandem ubiquitin-binding entities (TUBEs) with three or four ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domains as capture probes. Adriamycin (ADR)-stimulated MCF7 cells were used to differentiate protein ubiquitylation levels between cells that are sensitive or resistant to ADR treatment. We show that TUBEs-based microarrays can be used for the analysis of cellular processes regulated by ubiquitylation and for the detection of pathologies with aberrant ubiquitylation levels.

A short and high yielding synthesis of a core trisaccharide 1 as the key building block in the assembly of a library of N -glycan neoconjugates is presented. The β- d -Manp-(1→4)- d -GlcpNAc linkage was introduced by inversion of the C-2 position of a β-glucoside. The glucosyl donor was efficiently synthesised following a recently published one-pot strategy. 2-Naphthylmethyl and benzylidene-acetal protection in the terminal mannose permitted selective liberation of main branching sites for subsequent glycosylation. A C5 azido linker attached to the anomeric position, which is stable throughout the synthesis, will allow for the posterior immobilisation of deprotected glycans on a microarray surface.

When appropriately substituted amides are treated with PIFA in a non-nucleophilic solvent like trifluoroethanol, a stable N-acylnitrenium ion is generated. If under such conditions a C=C double bond is present in the molecule, an intramolecular cyclization process takes place in an exo mode with additional generation of a hydroxy group at the terminal position of the original olefin moiety to render a series of pyrrolidine and piperidine derivatives. In this paper, proofs are offered to conclude that, according to our assumption, an ionic mechanism rather than a radical one must be considered. Additionally, a study of the scope of this cyclization protocol is conducted using substrates with different substituents either on the amidic nitrogen or all along the carbon chain.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)

The synthesis of a collection of 33 xylosylated and core-fucosylated N-glycans found only in nonmammalian organisms such as plants and parasitic helminths has been achieved by employing a highly convergent chemo-enzymatic approach. The influence of these core modifications on the interaction with plant lectins, with the human lectin DC-SIGN (Dendritic Cell-Specific Intercellular adhesion molecule-3-Grabbing Nonintegrin), and with serum antibodies from schistosome-infected individuals was studied. Core xylosylation markedly reduced or completely abolished binding to several mannose-binding plant lectins and to DC-SIGN, a C-type lectin receptor present on antigen presenting cells. Employing the synthetic collection of core-fucosylated and core-xylosylated N-glycans in the context of a larger glycan array including structures lacking these core modifications, we were able to dissect core xylose and core fucose specific antiglycan antibody responses in S. mansoni infection sera, and we observed clear and immunologically relevant differences between children and adult groups infected with this parasite. The work presented here suggests that, quite similar to bisecting N-acetylglucosamine, core xylose distorts the conformation of the unsubstituted glycan, with important implications for the immunogenicity and protein binding properties of complex N-glycans.

Detection of molecular recognition processes requires robust, specific, and easily implementable sensing methods, especially for screening applications. Here, we propose the difluoroacetamide moiety (an acetamide bioisoster) as a novel tag for detecting by NMR analysis those glycan-protein interactions that involve N-acetylated sugars. Although difluoroacetamide has been used previously as a substituent in medicinal chemistry, here we employ it as a specific sensor to monitor interactions between GlcNAc-containing glycans and a model lectin (wheat germ agglutinin). In contrast to the widely employed trifluoroacetamide group, the difluoroacetamide tag contains geminal (1) H and (19) F atoms that allow both (1) H and (19) F NMR methods for easy and robust detection of molecular recognition processes involving GlcNAc- (or GalNAc-) moieties over a range of binding affinities. The CHF2 CONH- moiety behaves in a manner that is very similar to that of the natural acetamide fragment in the involved aromatic-sugar interactions, providing analogous binding energy and conformations, whereas the perfluorinated CF3 CONH- analogue differs more significantly.

[reaction: see text] A novel metal-free approach to the alkyne amidation reaction is presented. The oxidation of properly substituted amides by the hypervalent iodine reagent PIFA provides the generation of a nitrenium ion that can react intramolecularly with a triple bond, leading to the construction of the title compounds.

A series of N-methoxy- and N-para-methoxyphenylacetamides simultaneously substituted at the α position by a benzyl and an allyl group have been treated with phenyliodine(III)bis(trifluoroacetate) to generate stabilized N-acylnitrenium intermediates. It has been observed that, when starting from N-methoxy substituted amides, such intermediates are intramolecularly trapped by nucleophilic arene rings to render the quinolinone skeleton. Alternatively, under the same reaction conditions, N-para-methoxyphenylamides afford pyrrolidinone derivatives through an olefin amidohydroxylation process.

A novel access to the isoindolinone and isoquinolin-2-one skeletons from adequately substituted aromatic precursors is described. The key intramolecular cyclization step was performed by the action of phenyliodine(III)bis(trifluoroacetate) (PIFA) on the corresponding vinyl or allyl substituted N-(p-methoxyphenyl)benzamide derivatives leading to the heterocyclic compounds through 5-exo-trig and 6-exo-trig processes, respectively.

We determined the specificity of BTL, a lectin from the red marine alga Bryothamnion triquetrum, toward fucosylated oligosaccharides. BTL showed a strict specificity for the core α1,6-fucosylation, which is an important marker for cancerogenesis and quality control of therapeutical antibodies. The double fucosylation α1,6 and α1,3 was also recognized, but the binding was totally abolished in the sole presence of the α1,3-fucosylation. A more detailed analysis of the specificity of BTL showed a preference for bi- and tri-antennary nonbisected N-glycans. Sialylation or fucosylation at the nonreducing end of N-glycans did not affect the recognition by the lectin. BTL displayed a strong affinity for a core α1,6-fucosylated octasaccharide with a Kd of 12 μM by titration microcalorimetry. The structural characterization of the interaction between BTL and the octasaccharide was obtained by STD-NMR. It demonstrated an extended epitope for recognition that includes the fucose residue, the distal GlcNAc and one mannose residue. Recombinant rBTL was obtained in Escherichia coli and characterized. Its binding properties for carbohydrates were studied using hemagglutination tests and glycan array analysis. rBTL was able to agglutinate rabbit erythrocytes with strong hemagglutination activity only after treatment with papain and trypsin, indicating that its ligands were not directly accessible at the cell surface. The hemagglutinating properties of rBTL confirm the correct folding and functional state of the protein. The results show BTL as a potent candidate for cancer diagnosis and as a reagent for the preparation and quality control of antibodies lacking core α1,6-fucosylated N-glycans.

Fucose is a common monosaccharide component of cell surfaces and is involved in many biological recognition events. Therefore, definition and exploitation of the specificity of the enzymes (fucosyltransferases) involved in fucosylation is a recurrent theme in modern glycosciences. Despite various studies, the specificities of many fucosyltransferases are still unknown, so new approaches are required to study these. The model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans expresses a wide range of fucosylated glycans, including N-linked oligosaccharides with unusual complex core modifications. Up to three fucose residues can be present on the standard N,N′-diacetylchitobiose unit of these N-glycans, but only the fucosyltransferases responsible for transfer of two of these (the core α1,3-fucosyltransferase FUT-1 and the core α1,6-fucosyltransferase FUT-8) were previously characterized. By use of a glycan library in both array and solution formats, we were able to reveal that FUT-6, another C. elegans α1,3-fucosyltransferase, modifies nematode glycan cores, specifically the distal N-acetylglucosamine residue; this result is in accordance with glycomic analysis of fut-6 mutant worms. This core-modifying activity of FUT-6 in vitro and in vivo is in addition to its previously determined ability to synthesize Lewis X epitopes in vitro. A larger scale synthesis of a nematode N-glycan core in vitro using all three fucosyltransferases was performed, and the nature of the glycosidic linkages was determined by NMR. FUT-6 is probably the first eukaryotic glycosyltransferase whose specificity has been redefined with the aid of glycan microarrays and so is a paradigm for the study of other unusual glycosidic linkages in model and parasitic organisms. Background: The chitobiose region of nematode N-glycans can be modified with three fucose residues. Results: Glycan arrays and other analytical techniques facilitated the definition of the biologically relevant activity of Caenorhabditis FUT-6. Conclusion: The concerted action of Caenorhabditis FUT-1, FUT-6, and FUT-8 is required for trifucosylation of worm N-glycan cores. Significance: New approaches for studying glycans from parasitic nematodes are now possible.

High-throughput microarray technology has been combined with ultrasensitive and high-resolution tritium autoradiography to create a new platform for the quantitative detection of glycosyltransferase activity on glycan arrays. In addition, we show full compatibility with the use of fluorescently labeled lectins to help with the stereochemical assignment of newly formed glycoside linkages.

Glycan arrays have become the premier tool for rapidly establishing the binding or substrate specificities of lectins and carbohydrate-processing enzymes. New approaches for accelerating carbohydrate synthesis to address the enormous complexity of natural glycan structures are necessary. Moreover, optimising glycan immobilisation is key for the development of selective, sensitive and reproducible array-based assays. We present a tag-based approach that accelerates the preparation of glycan arrays on all levels by improving the synthesis, the purification and immobilisation of oligosaccharides. Glycan primers were chemically attached to bifunctional polyethyleneglycol (PEG) tags, extended enzymatically with the help of recombinant glycosyltransferases and finally purified by ultrafiltration. When printed directly onto activated glass slides, these glycoPEG tags afforded arrays with exceptionally high sensitivity, low background and excellent spot morphology. Likewise, the conjugation of glycoPEG tags to latex nanoparticles yielded multivalent scaffolds for carbohydrate-binding assays with very low non-specific binding.

Two recombinant fucosyltransferases were employed as synthetic tools in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of core fucosylated N-glycan structures. Enzyme substrates were rapidly identified by incubating a microarray of synthetic N-glycans with the transferases and detecting the presence of core fucose with four lectins and one antibody. Selected substrates were then enzymatically fucosylated in solution on a preparative scale and characterized by NMR and MS. With this approach the chemoenzymatic synthesis of a series of α1,3-, α1,6-, and difucosylated structures was accomplished in very short time and with high yields, which otherwise would have required extensive additional synthetic effort and a complete redesign of existing synthetic routes. In addition, valuable information was gathered regarding the specificities of the lectins employed in this study.