Characterization of a glycosphingolipid antigen defined by the monoclonal antibody MBr1 expressed in normal and neoplastic epithelial cells of human mammary gland

The antigen defined by a monoclonal antibody, MBr1, was found to be expressed in normal human mammary gland epithelia and human mammary carcinoma cells (Menard, S., Tagliabue, E., Canevari, S., Fossati, G., and Colnaghi, M. I. (1983) Cancer Res. 43, 1295-1300). The antigen has been isolated from breast cancer cell line MCF-7, which was used as immunogen, and its structure was determined by methylation analysis, NMR spectroscopy, direct probe mass spectrometry, and enzymatic degradation as identified below. Fuc alpha 1----2Gal beta 1----3GalNAc beta 1----3Gal alpha 1----4Gal beta 1----4Glc beta 1----1Cer The antibody cross-reacted weakly with fucosylasialo-GM1 (IV2FucGg4), which shares the same terminal sequence, Fuc alpha 1----2Gal beta 1----3GalNAc, with this antigen. However, various other structures, including lacto-series H structure (Fuc alpha 1----2 Gal beta 1----4/or 3GlcNAc beta 1----3Gal), did not show any reactivity with this antibody. Therefore, this antigen represents a blood group H antigen with a globo-series structure which is abundant in human teratocarcinoma (Kannagi, R., Levery, S. B., Ishigami, F., Hakomori, S., Shevinsky, L. H., Knowles, B. B., and Solter, D. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 8934-8942), although its presence must be limited in normal adult human tissue

Ganglioside and Non-ganglioside Mediated Host Responses to the Mouse Polyomavirus

Gangliosides serve as receptors for internalization and infection by members of the polyomavirus family. Specificity is determined by recognition of carbohydrate moieties on the ganglioside by the major viral capsid protein VP1. For the mouse polyomavirus (MuPyV), gangliosides with terminal sialic acids in specific linkages are essential. Although many biochemical and cell culture experiments have implicated gangliosides as MuPyV receptions, the role of gangliosides in the MuPyV-infected mouse has not been investigated. Here we report results of studies using ganglioside-deficient mice and derived cell lines. Knockout mice lacking complex gangliosides were completely resistant to the cytolytic and pathogenic effects of the virus. Embryo fibroblasts from these mice were likewise resistant to infection, and supplementation with specific gangliosides restored infectibility. Although lacking receptors for viral infection, cells from ganglioside-deficient mice retained the ability to respond to the virus. Ganglioside-deficient fibroblasts responded rapidly to virus exposure with a transient induction of c-fos as an early manifestation of a mitogenic response. Additionally, splenocytes from ganglioside-deficient mice responded to MuPyV by secretion of IL-12, previously recognized as a key mediator of the innate immune response. Thus, while gangliosides are essential for infection in the animal, gangliosides are not required for mitogenic responses and innate immune responses to the virus

The GalNAc-type O-Glycoproteome of CHO Cells Characterized by the SimpleCell Strategy

The Chinese hamster ovary cell (CHO) is the major host cell factory for recombinant production of biological therapeutics primarily because of its “human-like” glycosylation features. CHO is used for production of several O-glycoprotein therapeutics including erythropoietin, coagulation factors, and chimeric receptor IgG1-Fc-fusion proteins, however, some O-glycoproteins are not produced efficiently in CHO. We have previously shown that the capacity for O-glycosylation of proteins can be one limiting parameter for production of active proteins in CHO. Although the capacity of CHO for biosynthesis of glycan structures (glycostructures) on glycoproteins are well established, our knowledge of the capacity of CHO cells for attaching GalNAc-type O-glycans to proteins (glycosites) is minimal. This type of O-glycosylation is one of the most abundant forms of glycosylation, and it is differentially regulated in cells by expression of a subset of homologous polypeptide GalNAc-transferases. Here, we have genetically engineered CHO cells to produce homogeneous truncated O-glycans, so-called SimpleCells, which enabled lectin enrichment of O-glycoproteins and characterization of the O-glycoproteome. We identified 738 O-glycoproteins (1548 O-glycosites) in cell lysates and secretomes providing the first comprehensive insight into the O-glycosylation capacity of CHO (http://glycomics.ku.dk/o-glycoproteome_db/)

Precision mapping of the human O-GalNAc glycoproteome through SimpleCell technology

Glycosylation is the most abundant and diverse posttranslational modification of proteins. While several types of glycosylation can be predicted by the protein sequence context, and substantial knowledge of these glycoproteomes is available, our knowledge of the GalNAc-type O-glycosylation is highly limited. This type of glycosylation is unique in being regulated by 20 polypeptide GalNAc-transferases attaching the initiating GalNAc monosaccharides to Ser and Thr (and likely some Tyr) residues. We have developed a genetic engineering approach using human cell lines to simplify O-glycosylation (SimpleCells) that enables proteome-wide discovery of O-glycan sites using 'bottom-up' ETD-based mass spectrometric analysis. We implemented this on 12 human cell lines from different organs, and present a first map of the human O-glycoproteome with almost 3000 glycosites in over 600 O-glycoproteins as well as an improved NetOGlyc4.0 model for prediction of O-glycosylation. The finding of unique subsets of O-glycoproteins in each cell line provides evidence that the O-glycoproteome is differentially regulated and dynamic. The greatly expanded view of the O-glycoproteome should facilitate the exploration of how site-specific O-glycosylation regulates protein function

A Novel Ganglioside Isolated from Renal Cell Carcinoma

In renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the level of higher gangliosides is correlated with degree of metastatic potential, and cell lines derived from metastatic deposits of RCC are characterized by high expression of disialogangliosides (Saito, S., Orikasa, S., Ohyama, C., Satoh, M., and Fukushi, Y. (1991) Int. J. Cancer 49, 329–334 and Saito, S., Orikasa, S., Satoh, M., Ohyama, C., Ito, A., and Takahashi, T. (1997) Jpn. J. Cancer Res. (Gann) 88, 652–659). We now report two disialogangliosides, G1 and G2, found in the RCC cell line TOS-1. G1 from TOS-1 cells was characterized as having a novel hybrid structure between ganglio-series (region I as in Structure FTI; same as the terminal structure of ganglioside GM2), and the lacto-series type 1 (region II). The characterization was based on reactivity with various monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with defined epitope specificity, as well as monosaccharide and fatty acid component analysis, ^1H NMR spectroscopy, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of the intact compound. G1 showed strong reactivity with mAb RM2, raised originally against TOS-1 cells, and weak cross-reactivity with anti-GM2 mAb MK-1–8. The antigen is hereby termed GalNAc disialosyl Lc_4Cer (IV^4GalNAcIV^3NeuAcIII^6NeuAcLc_4; abbreviated GalNAcDSLc_4). G2 was identified by^1H NMR and mass spectrometry as having a structure similar to Structure FTI but without the GalNAcβ1→4 substitution and showed strong reactivity with mAb FH9 reported previously to be specific for disialosyl lacto-series type 1 (disialosyl Lc_4) having vicinal α2→3 and α2→6 sialosyl residues, an antigen associated with human colonic cancer. Clinicopathological studies indicate that expression of these disialoganglioside antigens in RCC tissue is correlated with the metastatic potential of RCC

The structural and functional role of myelin fast-migrating cerebrosides: pathological importance in multiple sclerosis

A family of neutral glycosphingolipids containing a 3-O-acetyl-sphingosine galactosylceramide (3-SAG) has been characterized. Seven new derivatives of galactosylceramide (GalCer), designated as fast-migrating cerebrosides (FMCs) by TLC retention factor, have been identified. The simplest compounds - FMC-1 and FMC-2 of this series have been characterized as the 3-SAG containing nonhydroxy and hydroxy fatty acyl, respectively. The next two -FMC-3 and FMC-4 - add 6-O-acetyl-galactose and the most complex glycosphingolipids, FMC-5, -6 and -7, are 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-3-SAG. These hydrophobic myelin lipid biomarkers coappear with GalCer during myelinogenesis and disappear along with GalCer in de- or dys-myelinating disorders. Myelin lipid antigens, including FMCs, are keys to myelin biology, opening the possibility of new and novel immune modulatory tools for treatment of autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis

The structural and functional role of myelin fast-migrating cerebrosides: pathological importance in multiple sclerosis

A family of neutral glycosphingolipids containing a 3-O-acetyl-sphingosine galactosylceramide (3-SAG) has been characterized. Seven new derivatives of galactosylceramide (GalCer), designated as fast-migrating cerebrosides (FMCs) by TLC retention factor, have been identified. The simplest compounds - FMC-1 and FMC-2 of this series have been characterized as the 3-SAG containing nonhydroxy and hydroxy fatty acyl, respectively. The next two -FMC-3 and FMC-4 - add 6-O-acetyl-galactose and the most complex glycosphingolipids, FMC-5, -6 and -7, are 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-3-SAG. These hydrophobic myelin lipid biomarkers coappear with GalCer during myelinogenesis and disappear along with GalCer in de- or dys-myelinating disorders. Myelin lipid antigens, including FMCs, are keys to myelin biology, opening the possibility of new and novel immune modulatory tools for treatment of autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis