Synthesis of Asymmetric N-Glycans as Common Core Substrates for Structural Diversification through Selective Enzymatic Glycosylation

ACS Chem Biol. 2020 Sep 18;15(9):2382-2394. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.0c00359. Epub 2020 Sep 3.

Abstract

N-glycans on the cell surface provide distinct signatures that are recognized by different glycan-binding proteins (GBPs) and pathogens. Most glycans in humans are asymmetric and isomeric, yet their biological functions are not well understood due to their lack of availability for studies. In this work, we have developed an improved strategy for asymmetric N-glycan assembly and diversification using designed common core substrates prepared chemically for selective enzymatic fucosylation and sialylation. The resulting 26 well-defined glycans that carry the sialic acid residue on different antennae were used in a microarray as a representative application to profile the binding specificity of hemagglutinin (HA) from the avian influenza virus (H5N2). We found distinct binding affinity for the Neu5Ac-Gal epitope linked to the N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) of different branches and only a minor effect in binding for the terminal galactose on different branches. Overall, the microarray analysis showed branch-biased and context-based recognition patterns.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carbohydrate Sequence
  • Glycosylation
  • Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / metabolism
  • Influenza A Virus, H5N2 Subtype / chemistry
  • Microarray Analysis
  • Polysaccharides / chemical synthesis*
  • Polysaccharides / metabolism

Substances

  • Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus
  • Polysaccharides