Yoshiki Yamaguchi

Pairing of oligosaccharides in the Fc region of immunoglobulin G

The Fc portion of immunoglobulin G (IgG) expresses paired oligosaccharides with microheterogeneities, which are associated with efficiencies of effector functions and with pathological states. A comparison of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry data obtained using a variety of Fc fragments derived from human and mouse IgG that do and do not retain the inter‐chain disulfide bridge(s) revealed that (1) the Fc portion can be asymmetric as well as symmetric with respect to glycosylation and (2) the ratios of the individual glycoforms are different from what is expected from the random pairing.

Proteolytic fragmentation with high specificity of mouse immunoglobulin G. Mapping of proteolytic cleavage sites in the hinge region.

We report the results of fragmentation of mouse IgG by clostripain, lysyl endopeptidase, metalloendopeptidase, and V8 protease that have a narrower substrate specificity than papain and pepsin. A panel of mouse monoclonal switch variant antibodies with IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG2b subclasses were examined. Cleavage sites by these proteases were mapped on the hinge region of each of the IgG subclasses. It was demonstrated that lysyl endopeptidase can cleave the core hinge portion of IgG2a and IgG2b without perturbing the inter-chain disulfide bridges. Digestion products were successfully isolated by a combined use of protein A affinity chromatography and HPLC techniques. This is a first successful attempt of obtaining the F(ab)2 fragment of IgG2b by proteolytic digestion.

Dynamics of the carbohydrate chains attached to the Fc portion of immunoglobulin G as studied by NMR spectroscopy assisted by selective 13C labeling of the glycans

A systematic method for 13C labeling of the glycan of immunoglobulin G for NMR study has been developed. A mouse immunoglobulin of subclass IgG2b has been used for the experiment. On the basis of chemical shift and linewidth data, it has been concluded that (1) the mobility of the carbohydrate chain in IgG2b is comparable to that of the backbone polypeptide chain with the exception of the galactose residue at the nonreducing end of the Manα1–3 branch, which is extremely mobile and (2) agalactosylation does not induce any significant change in the mobility. The results obtained indicate that even in the agalactosyl form the glycans are buried in the protein. Biological significance of the NMR results obtained is also briefly discussed.

Oligomers of glycamino acid

Glycamino acids, a family of sugar amino acids, are derivatives of C-glycosides that possesses a carboxyl group at the C-1 position and an amino group replacing one of the hydroxyl groups at either the C-2, 3, 4, or 6 position. We have prepared a series of glucose-type glycamino acids as monomeric building blocks: these are derivatives of 2-NH(2)-Glc-beta-CO(2)H 1, 3-NH(2)-Glc-beta-CO(2)H 2, 4-NH(2)-Glc-beta-CO(2)H 3, and 6-NH(2)-Glc-beta-CO(2)H 4 and constructed four types of homo-oligomers, beta(1-->2)-linked I, beta(1-->3)-linked II, beta(1-->4)-linked III, and beta(1-->6)-linked IV, employing the well-established N-Boc and BOP strategy. CD and NMR spectral studies of these oligomers suggested that only the beta(1-->2)-linked homo-oligomer possessed a helical structure that seems to be predetermined by the linkage position. Homo-oligomers with beta(1-->2)-linkages I and beta(1-->6)-linkages IV were also subjected to O-sulfation, and these O-sulfated oligomers were found to be able, in a linkage-specific manner, to effectively inhibit L-selectin-mediated cell adhesion, HIV infection, and heparanase activity without the anticoagulant activity associated with naturally occurring sulfated polysaccharides such as heparin.

Hyaluronan Recognition Mode of CD44 Revealed by Cross-saturation and Chemical Shift Perturbation Experiments

CD44 is the main cell surface receptor for hyaluronic acid (HA) and contains a functional HA-binding domain (HABD) composed of a Link module with N- and C-terminal extensions. The contact residues of human CD44 HABD for HA have been determined by cross-saturation experiments and mapped on the topology of CD44 HABD, which we elucidated by NMR. The contact residues are distributed in both the consensus fold for the Link module superfamily and the additional structural elements consisting of the flanking regions. Interestingly, the contact residues exhibit small changes in chemical shift upon HA binding. In contrast, the residues with large chemical shift changes are localized in the C-terminal extension and the first α-helix and are generally inconsistent with the contact residues. These results suggest that, upon ligand binding, the C-terminal extension and the first α-helix undergo significant conformational changes, which may account for the broad ligand specificity of CD44 HABD.

N-glycan structures of murine hippocampus serine protease, neuropsin, produced in Trichoplusia ni cells

N-glycans of neuropsin (serine protease in the murine hippocampus) expressed in Trichoplusia ni cells were released from the glycopeptides by digestion with glycoamidase A (from sweet almond), and the reducing ends of the oligosaccharides were reductively aminated with 2-aminopyridine. The derivatized N-glycans were separated and structurally identified by a two dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) mapping technique on two kinds of HPLC columns. Fourteen different major N-glycan structures were identified, of which 6 were high-mannose type (9.1%), and the remaining 8 were paucimannosidic type. The presence of insect specific N-glycan structures containing both α1,3- and α1,6- di-fucosylated innermost N-acetylglucosamine residue (23.3%), as below, was also confirmed by 600 MHz 1H-NMR spectroscopy.

1H and 13C NMR assignments for the glycans in glycoproteins by using 2H/13C-labeled glucose as a metabolic precursor

In order to understand the role of the glycans in glycoproteins in solution, structural information obtained by NMR spectroscopy is obviously required. However, the assignment of the NMR signals from the glycans in larger glycoproteins is still difficult, mainly due to the lack of appropriate methods for the assignment of the resonances originating from the glycans. By using [U-13C6,2H7]glucose as a metabolic precursor, we have successfully prepared a glycoprotein whose glycan is uniformly labeled with 13C and partially with D at the sugar residues. The D to H exchange ratios at the C1-C6 positions of the sugar residues have been proven to provide useful information for the spectral assignments of the glycan in the glycoprotein. This is the first report on the residue-specific assignment of the anomeric resonances originating from a glycan attached to a glycoprotein by using the metabolic incorporation of hydrogen from the medium into a glycan labeled with [U-13C6,2H7]glucose.

Post-translational modifications of immunoglobulin G: a mouse IgG variant that lacks the entire CH1 domain.

In the present study, we characterized the post-translational modifications of a short-chain variant of mouse IgG2a that lacks the entire CH 1 domain. The short-chain IgG2a and its proteolytic fragments were subjected to electrospray ionization- and fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometric analyses. It has been demonstrated that approximately 14% of the heavy chain of the short-chain IgG2a is O-glycosylated with a disaccharide of Ga1-GalNAc- at Thr220A in the hinge region. while the Oglycosylation does not occur in its parent IgG2a molecule. Two additional modifications have been detected at the C-termini of both the heavy and light chains of the short-chain IgG2a. Biological significance of the post-translational modifications of the short-chain IgG2a variant is briefly discussed.

CHAPTER 8:Stable Isotope Labeling of Glycoproteins for NMR Study

In the study of glycoproteins by NMR spectroscopy, stable isotope labeling is a challenging but important step. Labeling by metabolic means is useful, but choice of production vehicles (mammalian or non-mammalian expression systems) and of medium (or diet) are critical for obtaining functional glycoproteins with high isotope enrichment and with the appropriate glycoform framework. Metabolic labeling coupled with in vitro enzymatic reactions enables remodeling or modification of the NMR target glycoform. This chapter outlines recent progress in isotope labeling techniques of glycoproteins using mammalian and non-mammalian expression systems.