Simultaneously Identifying and Distinguishing Glycoproteins with O-GlcNAc and O-GalNAc (the Tn Antigen) in Human Cancer Cells

Anal Chem. 2022 Feb 22;94(7):3343-3351. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c05438. Epub 2022 Feb 8.

Abstract

Glycoproteins with diverse glycans are essential to human cells, and subtle differences in glycan structures may result in entirely different functions. One typical example is proteins modified with O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) and O-linked α-N-acetylgalactosamine (O-GalNAc) (the Tn antigen), in which the two glycans have very similar structures and identical chemical compositions, making them extraordinarily challenging to be distinguished. Here, we developed an effective method benefiting from selective enrichment and the enzymatic specificity to simultaneously identify and distinguish glycoproteins with O-GlcNAc and O-GalNAc. Metabolic labeling was combined with bioorthogonal chemistry for enriching glycoproteins modified with O-GlcNAc and O-GalNAc. Then, the enzymatic reaction with galactose oxidase was utilized to specifically oxidize O-GalNAc, but not O-GlcNAc, generating the different tags between glycopeptides with O-GlcNAc and O-GalNAc that can be easily distinguishable by mass spectrometry (MS). Among O-GlcNAcylated proteins commonly identified in three types of human cells, those related to transcription and RNA binding are highly enriched. Cell-specific features are also revealed. Among glycoproteins exclusively in Jurkat cells, those involved in human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection are overrepresented, which is consistent with the cell line source and suggests that protein O-GlcNAcylation participated in the response to the virus infection. Furthermore, glycoproteins with the Tn antigen have different subcellular distributions in different cells, which may be attributed to the distinct mechanisms for the formation of protein O-GalNAcylation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Acetylgalactosamine*
  • Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate
  • Glycoproteins / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Mass Spectrometry / methods
  • Neoplasms*

Substances

  • Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate
  • Glycoproteins
  • Tn antigen
  • Acetylgalactosamine