Ivan M. Belyanchikov

Synthesis of Sialic Acid Pseudopolysaccharides by Coupling of Spacer-Connected Neu5Ac With Activated Polymer

ABSTRACT A new approach to the synthesis of polyvalent sialosides (pseudopolysaccharides) of Neu5Ac is described. Two monovalent sialosides, namely 4-acetamido- and 4-glycylamidobenzyl α-glycosides of Neu5Ac (and their β-anomers) have been synthesized. The latter, each having a free amino group, have been coupled with poly(4-nitrophenylacrylate) followed by treatment with sodium hydroxide or ethanolamine to give water soluble polyvalent sialosides differing in the nature of polymeric backbone. The coupling proceeded quantitatively providing polymers with a desired number of spacer-connected Neu5Ac residues attached. The polymers are shown to have considerable activity as inhibitors of influenza virus adhesion.

Comparative lectinology: delineating glycan-specificity profiles of the chicken galectins using neoglycoconjugates in a cell assay

A major aspect of carbohydrate-dependent galectin functionality is their cross-linking capacity. Using a cell surface as biorelevant platform for galectin binding and a panel of 40 glycans as sensor part of a fluorescent polyacrylamide neoglycopolymer for profiling galectin reactivity, properties of related proteins can be comparatively analyzed. The group of the chicken galectins (CGs) is an especially suited system toward this end due to its relatively small size, compared with mammalian galectins. The experiments reveal particularly strong reactivity toward N-acetyllactosamine repeats for all tested CGs and shared reactivity of CG-1A and CG-2 to histo-blood group ABH determinants. In cross-species comparison, CG-1Bs properties closely resembled those of human galectin-1, as was the case for the galectin-2 (but not galectin-3) ortholog pair. Although binding-site architectures are rather similar, reactivity patterns can well differ.

Glycoprobes as a tool for the study of lectins expressed on tumor cells

Polyacrylamide glycoconjugates, Glyc-PAA, having various tags or labels are convenient tools for analysis of cellular lectins. Adaptation of such glycoprobes for flow cytometry allows us to reveal lectins expressed on cell surface and analyze their carbohydrate specificity as well as functionality. Localization of lectins is visualized by labeling of cells with fluorescein-tagged glycoprobes, Glyc-PAA-fluo, in combination with fluorescent microscopy techniques. Additionally, biotinylated glycoprobes can be immobilized on magnetic particles making it possible to separate a cell population according to its carbohydrate-binding profile. Here, we exemplify application of glycoprobes in the study of cellular siglecs and galectins, as well as lectin patterning of tumor cells. The specificity of sialic acid binding membrane-anchored lectins, siglecs-1, -5, -7, -8 and -9 was determined using this methodology. To study the carbohydrate-binding profile of soluble galactoside-binding lectins, galectins-1 or -3, these were loaded on (initially galectin free) Raji cells and probed using Glyc-PAA-fluo. Lessons learned from this model system allowed us to study the galectin distribution pattern of tumors: cells obtained from mice carrying mammary adenocarcinoma or lymphoma were probed with Glyc-PAA-fluo using flow cytometry. Disaccharide 6OSuLacdiNAc was shown to be the most potent probe for adenocarcinoma cells, demonstrating that 6OSuLacdiNAc-binding molecules accumulate on cell surface in a patch-wise distribution.

Synthesis of N -Acetyllactosamine-Containing Oligosaccharides, Galectin Ligands

The following spacered oligosaccharides were synthesized: GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-sp, GlcNAcβ1-6Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-sp, GlcNAcβ1-3(GlcNAcβ1-6)Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-sp, Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-sp, Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-6Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-sp, Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-3(Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-6)Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-sp, GlcNAcβ1-3(Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-6)Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-sp, and Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-3(GlcNAcβ1-6)Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-sp (sp = O(CH2)2NH2). They represent N-acetyllactosamines substituted with N-acetylglycosamine or N-acetyllalctosamine residue at O3, O6, or at both positions of galactose. Glycosylation was achieved by coupling with N-trichloroethoxycarbonyl-protected glucosamine bromide in the presence of silver triflate.

Determination of Carbohydrate Specificity of Monoclonal Antibodies against MUC1

The carbohydrate specificity of 57 MAbs submitted to the ISOBM TD-4 Workshop on MUC1 were investigated by two versions of ELISA, direct binding and inhibition of binding. The following free saccharides and their polyacrylamide conjugates (Sug-PAA) were used: tetrasaccharides – SiaLe^x , SiaLe^a; trisaccharides – Le^x, 3′HSO₃Le^x, Le^a, 3′HSO₃Le^a, 3′SiaLac, A_tri, B_tri; a number of disaccharides including TF, H_di, SiaT_n, LactNAc, and monosaccharides. It was shown that MAbs 143 and 167 interacted only with SiaLe^x, MAbs 127 and 128 only with Le^x. Antibodies 123 and 164 interacted preferably with Le^a but also recognized Le^c. Antibody 151 recognized αGalNAc (T_n) and cross-reacted with βGalNAc. Antibody 157 displayed high affinity to A_tri and A_tetr (type 1). Neither anti-TF nor anti-SiaT_n antibodies were revealed.

Solid-phase assays for study of carbohydrate specificity of galectins

We have recently shown that the carbohydrate-binding pattern of galectins in cells differs from that determined in artificial (non-cellular) test-systems. To understand the observed discrepancy, we compared several test-systems differing in the mode of galectin presentation on solid phase. The most representative system was an assay where the binding of galectin (human galectins-1 and -3 were studied) to asialofetuin immobilized on solid phase was inhibited by polyacrylamide glycoconjugates, Glyc-PAA. This approach permits us to range quantitatively glycans (Glyc) by their affinity to galectin, i.e. to study both high and low affinity ligands. Our attempts to imitate the cell system by solid-phase assay were not successful. In the cell system galectin binds glycoconjugates by one carbohydrate-recognizing domain (CRD), and after that the binding to the remaining non-bound CRD is studied by means of fluorescein-labeled Glyc-PAA. In an “imitation” variant when galectins are loaded on adsorbed asialofetuin or Glyc-PAA followed by revealing of binding by the second Glyc-PAA, the interaction was not observed or glycans were ordered poorly, unlike in the inhibitory assay. When galectins were adsorbed on corresponding antibodies (when all CRDs were free for recognition by carbohydrate), a good concentration dependence was observed and patterns of specificities were similar (though not identical) for the two methods; notably, this system does not reflect the situation in the cell. Besides the above-mentioned, other variants of solid-phase analysis of galectin specificity were tested. The results elucidate the mechanism and consequence of galectin CRD cis-masking on cell surface.

Probing Cell Surface Lectins with Neoglycoconjugates

Publisher Summary Knowledge of carbohydrate-binding properties of cell surface lectins is important for understanding their functions. A particularity of carbohydrate—protein recognition of lectins is that both affinity and specificity are achieved due to polyvalent interaction, whereas affinity of single ligand to lectin can be very low or not registered at all. The use of polyvalent probes allows increasing of the binding due to multipoint interaction. Multivalency of binding requires a specific design of the probes; several copies of saccharide should be attached to a polymer carrier at an appropriate distance. The probe bears a direct label (e.g. fluorescein) or a tag for subsequent detection (e.g. biotin). The probes for cell studies should correspond to enormously strict requirements in respect of nonspecific interaction with cell components and matrix. Polyacrylamide-based glycoconjugates used for a long time for the study of specificity of soluble and membrane-associated lectins fit very well with requirements for probes of lectins. Biotinylated glycoprobes are convenient for lectin revealing based on CELISA (cell ELISA) technique, whereas fluorescein-labeled ones are appropriate for use in flow cytometry. Both biotinylated and fluorescein-labeled glycoprobes can be used in cytological and histological studies. Sometimes, more intense staining is observed when the probe is attached to a fluorescent particle. Glycoparticles prepared by immobilization of glycoconjugates on magnetic beads are convenient for isolation of a particular cell population, expressing carbohydrate-binding molecules.

Koenigs-Knorr Glycosylation with Neuraminic Acid Derivatives

Earlier we reported a convenient and efficient method of preparing α2-6 sialooligosaccharides in conditions of Koenigs-Knorr reaction. The use of Ag2CO3 allowed carrying out α2-6 sialylation of galacto-4,6-diol of mono- and disaccharides with chloride of acetylated N-acetylneuraminic acid methyl ester as glycosyl donor. In this study we applied this approach to other derivatives of neuraminic acid, namely, Neu5Gc, 9-deoxy-9-NAc-Neu5Ac, Neu5Acα2-8Neu5Ac, and Neu5Acα2-8Neu5Acα2-8Neu5Ac as glycosyl donors; eight compounds were synthesized: Neu5Gcα-O(CH2)3NH2 (8), Neu5Gcα2-6Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-O(CH2)3NH2 (10), 9-deoxy-9-NAc-Neu5Ac-O(CH2)3NH2 (15), 9-deoxy-9-NAc-Neu5Acα2-6Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-O(CH2)3NH2 (17), Neu5Acα2-8Neu5Acα-O(CH2)3NH2(23) Neu5Acα2-8Neu5Acα-OCH3 (24), Neu5Acα2-8Neu5Acα-OCH2(p-C6H4)NHCOCH2NH2 (25), and Neu5Acα2-8Neu5Acα2-8Neu5Acα-O(CH2)3NH2 (32). These sialosides were used for characterization of siglecs and other carbohydrate-binding proteins.

Glycan recognition by human blood mononuclear cells with an emphasis on dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) play crucial roles in innate and adaptive immune response, for which reason targeting antigen to these cells is an important strategy for improvement of vaccine development. To this end, we explored recognition of DCs lectins by glycans. For selection of the glycan “vector”, a library of 229 fluorescent glycoprobes was employed to assess interaction with the CD14low/-CD16+CD83+ blood mononuclear cell population containing the DCs known for their importance in antigen presentation to T-lymphocytes. It was found that: 1) the glycan-binding profiles of this CD14low/-CD16+CD83+ subpopulation were similar but not identical to DCs of monocyte origin (moDCs); 2) the highest percentage of probe-positive cells in this CD14 low/-CD16+CD83+ subpopulation was observed for GalNAcα1-2Galβ (Adi), (Neu5Acα)3 and three mannose-reach glycans; 3) subpopulation of CD14low/-CD16+ cells preferentially bound 4’-O-Su-LacdiNAc. Considering the published data on specificity of DCs binding, the glycans showing particular selectivity for the CD14 low/-CD16+CD83+ cells are likely interacting with macrophage galactose binding lectin (MGL), siglec-7 and dectin-2. In contrast, DC-SIGN is not apparently involved, even in case of mannose-rich glycans. Taking into consideration potential in vivo competition between glycan “vectors” and glycans within glycocalyx, attempting to target vaccine to DCs glycan-binding receptors should focus on Adi and (Neu5Acα)3 as the most promising vectors.

Localization of Galectins within Glycocalyx

Galectins are involved in various biological processes, e.g. cell–cell and cell–matrix adhesion and the transmission of cellular signals. Despite the diversity of functions, little is known about the nature of their physiological cognate ligands on the cell surface and the localization of galectins in the glycocalyx, although this information is important for understanding the functional activity of galectins. In this work, localization of endogenous and exogenously loaded galectins in the glycocalyx was studied. The following main conclusions are drawn: 1) galectins are not evenly distributed within the glycocalyx, they are accumulated in patches. Patching is not the result of a cross-linking of cellular glycans by galectins. Instead, patch-wise localization is the consequence of irregular distribution of glycans forming the glycocalyx; 2) galectins are accumulated in the inner zone of the glycocalyx rather than at its outer face or directly in vicinity of the cell membrane; 3) patches are not associated with cell rafts.