Synthesis of Biologically Active <i>N</i>- and <i>O</i>‑Linked Glycans with Multisialylated Poly‑<i>N</i>‑acetyllactosamine Extensions Using <i>P. damsela</i> α2‑6 Sialyltransferase

Sialosides on <i>N</i>- and <i>O</i>-linked glycoproteins play a fundamental role in many biological processes, and synthetic glycan probes have proven to be valuable tools for elucidating these functions. Though sialic acids are typically found α2-3- or α2-6-linked to a terminal nonreducing end galactose, poly-LacNAc extended core-3 <i>O</i>-linked glycans isolated from rat salivary glands and human colonic mucins have been reported to contain multiple internal Neu5Acα2-6Gal epitopes. Here, we have developed an efficient approach for the synthesis of a library of <i>N</i>- and <i>O</i>-linked glycans with multisialylated poly-LacNAc extensions, including naturally occurring multisialylated core-3 <i>O</i>-linked glycans. We have found that a recombinant α2-6 sialyltransferase from <i>Photobacterium damsela</i> (Pd2,6ST) exhibits unique regioselectivity and is able to sialylate internal galactose residues in poly-LacNAc extended glycans which was confirmed by MS/MS analysis. Using a glycan microarray displaying this library, we found that Neu5Acα2-6Gal specific influenza virus hemagglutinins, siglecs, and plant lectins are largely unaffected by adjacent internal sialylation, and in several cases the internal sialic acids are recognized as ligands. Polyclonal IgY antibodies specific for internal sialoside epitopes were elicited in inoculated chickens

Heparin Binding to an Engineered Virus-like Nanoparticle Antagonist

The anticoagulant activity of heparin administered during medical interventions must be reversed to restore normal clotting, typically by titrating with protamine. Given the acute toxicity associated with protamine, we endeavored to generate safer heparin antagonists by engineering bacteriophage Qβ virus-like particles (VLPs) to display motifs that bind heparin. A particle bearing a single amino acid change from wild-type (T18R) was identified as a promising candidate for heparin antagonism. Surface potential maps generated through molecular modeling reveal that the T18R mutation adds synergistically to adjacent positive charges on the particle surface, resulting in a large solvent-accessible cationic region that is replicated 180 times over the capsid. Chromatography using a heparin-sepharose column confirmed a strong interaction between heparin and the T18R particle. Binding studies using fluorescein-labeled heparin (HepFL) resulted in a concentration-dependent change in fluorescence intensity, which could be perturbed by the addition of unlabeled heparin. Analysis of the fluorescence data yielded a dissociation constant of approximately 1 nM and a 1:1 binding stoichiometry for HepFL:VLP. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments suggested that T18R forms discrete complexes with heparin when the VLP:heparin molar ratios are equivalent, and in vitro clotting assays confirmed the 1:1 binding stoichiometry as full antagonism of heparin is achieved. Biolayer interferometry and backscattering interferometry corroborated the strong interaction of T18R with heparin, yielding <i>K</i>_d ∼ 1–10 nM. These biophysical measurements further validated T18R, and VLPs in general, for potential clinical use as effective, nontoxic heparin antagonists