Internal repeat variability in mucin sequences.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G C Hansson.
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The mucin MUC1 is a candidate for use in specific immunotherapy against breast cancer, but this requires the large-scale production of a MUC1 antigen. In this study, a bioprocess for the expression of a recombinant MUC1 fusion protein with a cancer associated glycosylation in CHO-K1 cells has been developed. Cells permanently expressing parts of the extracellular portion of MUC1 fused to IgG Fc were directly transferred from adherent growth in serum-containing medium to suspension culture in the protein-free ProCHO4-CDM culture medium. Using the Cellferm-pro system, optimal culture parameter as pH and pO(2) were determined in parallel spinner flask batch cultures. A pH of 6.8-7.0 and a pO(2) of 40% of air saturation was found to give best cell growth and productivity of secreted recombinant protein. Specific productivity strongly depended the pO(2) and correlated with the online monitored oxygen uptake rate (OUR) of the cells, which indicates a positive influence of the rate of oxidative phosphorylation on productivity. The optimised conditions were applied to continuous perfusion culture which gave very high cell densities and space time yields of the recombinant MUC1 fusion protein, allowing production at gram scale. The product degradation was much lower in supernatants from continuous perfusion culture compared to batch mode. Antibodies reacting with cancer associated MUC1 glycoforms strongly bound to the fusion protein, indicating that the desired glycoforms were obtained and suggesting that the recombinant MUC1 protein could be tested for use in immunotherapy.
Addition of the weak base ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) or the proton pump inhibitor bafilomycin A1 to cultured HeLa and LS 174T cells effectively neutralized the pH gradient of the secretory pathway. This resulted in relocalization of the three studied glycosyltransferases, N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 2, beta1,2 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I, and beta1,4 galactosyltransferase 1, normally localized to the Golgi stack, the medial/trans-Golgi and the trans-Golgi/TGN, respectively. Indirect immunofluorescence microscopy, immunoelectron microscopy, and subcellular fractionation of the tagged or native glycosyltransferases showed that NH4Cl caused a relocalization of the enzymes mainly to vesicles of endosomal type, whereas bafilomycin A1 gave mainly cell surface staining. The general morphology of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus was retained as judged from immunofluorescence and electron microscopy studies. When the O-glycans on the guanidinium chloride insoluble gel-forming mucins from the LS 174T cells were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after neutralization of the secretory pathway pH by NH4Cl over 10 days shorter O-glycans were observed. However, no decrease in the number of oligosaccharide chains was indicated. Together, the results suggest that pH is a contributing factor for proper steady-state distribution of glycosyltransferases over the Golgi apparatus and that altered pH may cause alterations in glycosylation possibly due to a relocalization of glycosyltransferases.
As part of a strategy for profiling diverse mixtures of sulfated mucin-derived oligosaccharides, liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) in the negative ion mode has been explored. Two mixtures of sulfated oligosaccharide alditols from porcine stomach and large intestine were analyzed by straight phase chromatography using an amino-bonded column connected to a Q-TOF instrument. Nine sulfated mucin-derived oligosaccharide alditols from porcine stomach underwent extensive fragmentation allowing determination of their sequence. The fragmentation generated primary, secondary, and tertiary fragment ions informative for the elucidation of the saccharide sequence and localization of the sulfate group. From a single chromatographic analysis, the sequences of 28 different sulfated mucin oligosaccharide alditols purified from porcine large intestine were elucidated, revealing information concerning prominent core sequences and terminal blood group-type epitopes. Analysis of these two sulfated oligosaccharide mixtures demonstrated the usefulness of HPLC-ESI-MS/MS: the on-line separation of multiple isomeric suffated oligosaccharides as present in biological samples, informative fragmentation allowing the identification of the sequence of nonderivatized oligosaccharides, and a sensitivity sufficient for the analysis of quantities as obtained from natural sources.
The sialylation of the oligosaccharides from small-intestinal mucins during a 13-day infectious cycle was studied in Sprague-Dawley rats with the parasite Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. Sialic acid analysis and release, permethylation and analysis by GC-MS of the sialylated oligosaccharides isolated from the 'insoluble' mucin complex revealed a relative decrease (4-7-fold) of N-glycolylneuraminic acid compared with N-acetylneuraminic acid just before parasite expulsion. Northern blots showed that this effect was due to the decreased expression of a hydroxylase converting CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid into CMP-N-glycolylneuraminic acid. Analysis of other rat strains showed that this parasite infection also caused the same effect in these animals. Detailed analysis of infected Sprague-Dawley rats revealed four sialylated oligosaccharides not found in the uninfected animals. These new oligosaccharides were characterized in detail and all shown to contain the trisaccharide epitope NeuAc/NeuGcalpha2-3(GalNAcbeta1-4)Galbeta1 (where NeuGc is N-glycolyl neuraminic acid). This epitope is similar to the Sd(a)- and Cad-type blood-group antigens and suggests that the infection causes the induction of a GalNAcbeta1-4 glycosyltransferase. This model for an intestinal infection suggests that the glycosylation of intestinal mucins is a dynamic process being modulated by the expression of specific enzymes during an infection process.
An approach for analyzing sulfated oligosaccharide alditol mixtures by liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) is described. Two columns, an amino-bonded column and a porous graphitized carbon column (PGC) were used. Oligosaccharides were eluted with linear gradients of acetonitrile and water, with 5 mM ammonium hydrogencarbonate or formate buffers at a basic pH. The methods were evaluated on a mixture of sulfated oligosaccharide alditols prepared from mucin glycoproteins from pig stomach. Results from LC-ESI-MS of the mixture were compared with the structural information obtained by high energy collision fragmentation using fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry (FAB-MS-MS). The separation ability of the two columns was also tested using a more complex mixture of sulfated oligosaccharides from pig colon, where several isomers were detected. The potential use of in-source collision-induced dissociation (CID) to gain sequence information of sulfated oligosaccharides was also evaluated. The major fragment ions obtained by in-source CID of the trisaccharide Hex-3HexNAcol6-HexNAc6-SO3 were sufficient for assigning the oligosaccharide sequence and the position of the sulfate group within the monosaccharide moiety. The LC-ESI-MS approach should be a valuable tool for characterization of mucin glycosylation and alterations during pathological conditions.
CD43 is a leukocyte-associated sialoglycoprotein which is also expressed in human colon adenoma and carcinoma. To obtain monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that would react with CD43 in a glycosylation-independent way, antibodies were raised against a peptide corresponding to a portion of the CD43 cytoplasmic domain. Hybridomas were screened on paraffin sections from CD43-positive colon tumours. The reactivity of the antibodies with CD43 was verified by Western blot analysis of lysate of CHO cells transfected with human CD43 cDNA and by immunoprecipitation of lysates from CD43+ cell lines. Epitope mapping of antibodies was done using overlapping heptameric peptides. A detailed characterisation of one of the novel antibodies (CD43-3A1) is presented. This antibody reacts with the CD43 protein regardless of its glycosylation in Western blot analysis, immunoprecipitation and immuno-histochemistry of paraffin sections. Immuno-histochemical analysis of paraffin sections from colon adenoma and carcinoma tissues as well as colon cancer cell lines revealed that CD43 was predominantly localised intracellularly, in contrast to leukocyte-type cells. The MAb reacted more efficiently with paraffin-embedded colon adenoma and carcinoma cells than previously characterised CD43-specific antibodies. This should facilitate the evaluation of a potential role of CD43 during cancer development.
The in vitro anti-proliferative properties of various supernatants from MUC1-expressing cell lines and of purified preparations of MUC1 were evaluated. We have observed that supernatants from the MUC1-and MUC3-positive cell line T47D, but not from the MUC1- and MUC4-positive cell line MCF7, were able to inhibit proliferation of cells from various haematopoietic cell lines. Although the activity of T47D supernatants could be abrogated by immunodepletion of MUC1, immunopurified MUC1 from T47D was unable to inhibit cell proliferation. Significantly, supernatants from mouse 3T3 cells transfected with a secreted form of MUC1 or from BHK-21 cells infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus coding for the secreted form of MUC1, as well as preparations of purified MUC1 from bile or urine, were likewise unable to inhibit T cell proliferation. Surprisingly, a crude mixture of bile mucins had a suppressive effect on T cell growth. Our results suggest that other molecules, such as amino sugars or other mucins, which can associate with MUC1, are likely to be responsible for the observed anti-proliferative effects of T47D cells.
The effects on renal sodium excretion of giving lithium chloride (LiCl; 0.75 mmol per kg body mass) by gavage or intravenously were investigated. The experiments were carried out on Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) or spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats in metabolic cages. The rats had been on a low-salt diet for 4 days. Urine excretion of water, sodium and potassium was followed before and for 24 h after giving LiCl. An oral dose of LiCl evoked a more pronounced renal sodium excretion in either strain of rat as compared to that following intravenous administration, in agreement with previous observations of the effects of giving sodium chloride. Choline chloride (1.5 mmol per kg body mass) given by gavage to WKY rats or SHR evoked no change in the renal excretion of sodium. Based on the results of the present study and on observations reported in the literature, we propose that the intestinal tract contains a sodium "sensor", which upon activation releases a natriuretic factor to cause renal sodium excretion. The present results indicate that the proposed "sensor" is sensitive to lithium but not chloride ions.
Biosynthetic studies on the human MUC5AC mucin were performed by immunoprecipitations with antisera recognizing only the non-O-glycosylated apomucin in the colon adenocarcinoma cell line LS 174T. Pulse-chase studies and subcellular fractionations showed that MUC5AC formed dimers in the rough endoplasmic reticulum within 15 min of the initiation of biosynthesis. No non-O-glycosylated species larger than dimers were identified. The dimerization was N-glycosylation-dependent, because tunicamycin treatment significantly lowered the rate of dimerization. When the biosynthesis of MUC5AC apomucin was compared with that of MUC2 apomucin, also produced in the LS 174T cell line, both apomucins were assembled in similar ways with respect to their rates of dimerization with and without inhibition of N-glycosylation. No heterodimerization was observed between the human MUC5AC and the MUC2 apomucins despite the extensive sequence similarities in the positions of the cysteine residues in the C-termini proposed to be involved in mucin dimerization.
Pulse-chase experiments in the colon cell line LS 174T combined with subcellular fractionation by sucrose density gradient centrifugation showed that the initial dimerization of the MUC2 apomucin started directly after translocation of the apomucin into the rough endoplasmic reticulum as detected by calnexin reactivity. As the mono- and dimers were chased, O-glycosylated MUC2 mono- and dimers were precipitated using an O-glycosylation-insensitive antiserum against the N-terminal domain of the MUC2 mucin. These O-glycosylated species were precipitated from the fractions that comigrated with the galactosyltransferase activity during the subcellular fractionation, indicating that not only MUC2 dimers but also a significant amount of monomers are transferred into the Golgi apparatus. Inhibition of N-glycosylation with tunicamycin treatment slowed down the rate of dimerization and introduced further oligomerization of the MUC2 apomucin in the endoplasmic reticulum. Results of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis demonstrated that these oligomers (putative tri- and tetramers) were stabilized by disulfide bonds. The non-N-glycosylated species of the MUC2 mucin were retained in the endoplasmic reticulum because no O-glycosylated species were precipitated after inhibition by tunicamycin. This suggests that N-glycans of MUC2 are necessary for the correct folding and dimerization of the MUC2 mucin.
The MUC2 mucin is the major gel-forming mucin in the small and large intestine. Due to its sequence similarities with the von Willebrand factor, it has been suggested to dimerize in the endoplasmic reticulum and polymerize in the trans-Golgi network. Using an O-glycosylation-sensitive MUC2 antiserum, a dimerization has been shown to occur in the endoplasmic reticulum of LS 174T cells (Asker, N., Axelsson, M. A. B., Olofsson, S.-O., and Hansson, G. C. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 18857-18863). Using an antiserum immunoprecipitating O-glycosylated MUC2 mucin, monomers and dimers were shown to occur in soluble form in the lysate of LS 174T cells. The amount of O-glycosylated dimer was small, and no larger species were found even after long chase periods. However, most of the labeled MUC2 mucin was found in pelleted debris of the cell lysate. This insoluble MUC2 mucin was recovered by immunoprecipitation after reduction of disulfide bonds. Analysis by agarose gel electrophoresis revealed two bands, of which the smaller migrated as the O-glycosylated monomer and the larger migrated as the O-glycosylated dimer of the cell lysis supernatant. Mucins insoluble in 6 M guanidinium chloride could also be obtained from LS 174T cells. Such mucins have earlier been found in the small intestine (Carlstedt, I., Herrmann, A., Karlsson, H., Sheehan, J., Fransson, L. -A., and Hansson, G. C. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 18771-18781). Reduction of the mucins followed by purification by isopycnic density gradient ultracentrifugation and analysis by agarose gel electrophoresis revealed two bands reacting with an anti-MUC2 tandem repeat antibody after deglycosylation. These bands migrated identically to the bands shown by metabolic labeling, and they could also be separated by rate zonal ultracentrifugation. These results suggest that the MUC2 mucin is forming nonreducible intermolecular bonds early in biosynthesis, but after initial O-glycosylation.
Previously we showed that the low-molecular-weight mucin (MG2, encoded by MUC7), a major component of human submandibular/sublingual saliva, is a bacterial receptor that coats the tooth surface. Here we tested the hypothesis that the structure of its carbohydrate residues contains important information about its function. Purified MG2 (Mr 120 000) was digested with trypsin, and the resulting Mr 90 000 fragment, which carried primarily O-linked oligosaccharides, was subjected to reductive beta-elimination. The released oligosaccharides were characterized by using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Of the 41 different structures we detected, the most prominent included NeuAcalpha2-->3Galbeta1-->3GalNAc-ol (sialyl-T antigen), Galbeta1-->4(Fucalpha1-->3)GlcNAcbeta1-->6(Galbeta1 -->3)GalNAc-ol [type 2 core with Lewisx (Lex) determinant], and NeuAcalpha2-->3Galbeta1-->4(Fucalpha1-->3)GlcNAcbet a1-->6(Galbeta1--> 3) GalNAc-ol [type 2 core with sialyl Lex (sLex) determinant]. We also detected di-, tri-, and pentasaccharides with one sulfate group. Lex, sLex, and related sulfated structures are ligands for selectins, adhesion molecules that mediate leukocyte trafficking. Therefore, we investigated whether MG2 was a selectin ligand. In an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, L-selectin chimeras interacted with immobilized MG2 in a Ca2+-dependent manner. L-Selectin chimeras also bound to MG2 immobilized on nitrocellulose. Together, these results suggest that the saccharides that MG2 carries could specify some of its important functions, which may include mediating leukocyte interactions in the oral cavity.
The O-linked oligosaccharides from three fractions of highly glycosylated mucin glycopeptides obtained from sputum of a patient with cystic fibrosis were characterized and compared regarding size, composition, sequence and when possible linkage positions. Neutral and sialic acid-containing glycans were permethylated and analyzed by high-temperature GC-MS and MALDI-MS, showing more than 60 different oligosaccharides with a size of up to 15 monosaccharide units. Some of the observed oligosaccharides are novel for respiratory secretions, one being a trifucosylated heptasaccharide with the proposed structure: Fuc-Gal-4(Fuc-3)GlcNAc-(Fuc-)Gal-3GalNAcol. The glycosylation of two of the glycopeptide fractions was similar with regard to the neutral and sialylated oligosaccharides despite their different origins from the sol or gel phase. Analysis of the sulfated oligosaccharides by FAB-MS/MS indicated that the gel fraction contained C-6 linked sulfate groups while the two sol fractions also contained C-3 linked sulfate. The results suggest the presence of different glycosylated mucin domains, probably originating from different mucin glycoforms and/or apoproteins in the airway of cystic fibrosis patients.
Strongly reacting antibodies specific for defined mucin gene products are often directed against the mucin protein backbone of the heavily glycosylated serine/threonine rich regions. A prerequisite for the use of such antibodies is often the complete removal of the oligosaccharides from the protein. This paper describes an efficient one-step deglycosylation method using gaseous hydrogen fluoride on nylon blotting membranes and microtiter wells.
The 55 antibodies submitted to the ISOBM TD-4 Workshop were analysed for their reactivity with core proteins of the heavily glycosylated MUC1 mucins from the colon carcinoma cell line COLO205 and bile. Both these mucins (designated as H-CanAg and SBG2) are highly glycosylated having 15 and 50 sugar residues per oligosaccharide, respectively. Only a few of the antibodies (129, 139, 153 and 162) reacted with both SBG2 and H-CanAg, and not with a control mucin (L-CanAg) having a similar glycosylation as H-CanAg. These antibodies were tested for their ability to catch soluble mucins, and the antibody 162 was found to be good also in this type of assay. The antibodies selected here should be useful for the detection of high glycosylated forms of the MUC1 mucin in tissues and serum.
The large glycosylated domains obtained from the rat intestinal mucin Muc2 were isolated from the large and small intestine of the inbred rat strains GOT-W and GOT-BW. The expression of the rat Muc2 in the large intestine was confirmed immunochemically and by Northern blotting. Released oligosaccharides were structurally characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (neutral and sialylated species) or by tandem mass spectrometry (sulfated species), and a total of 63 structures was assigned. The large intestinal oligosaccharides were found to be identical between the strains, while the small intestinal glycosylation differed. Until now, detailed structural analysis of oligosaccharides isolated from a single mucin core or mucin domain with different origin have not been performed, and the information of different mucin glycoforms has been limited to immunochemistry. Blood group A-determinants (GalNAcalpha1-3(Fucalpha1-2)Galbeta1-, and structures related to the blood group Sda/Cad-related epitope NeuAc/NeuGcalpha1-3(GalNAcbeta1-4)Galbeta1-, were found in GOT-BW small intestine, and also in both large intestines. Blood group H-determinants and NeuAc/NeuGcalpha1-3Galbeta1- were found in all samples. Core 1 (Galbeta1-3GalNAcalpha1-), core 2 (Galbeta1-3(GlcNAcbeta1-6)GalNAcalpha1-), core 3 (GlcNAcbeta1-3GalNAcalpha1-), and core 4 (GlcNAcbeta1-3(GlcNAcbeta1-6)GalNAcalpha1- were also found in all the samples. The large intestine were enriched in sulfated oligosaccharides and the small intestine contained higher amounts of sialylated species. Sulfation were found exclusively on C-6 of GlcNAc.
CD43 (leukosialin) has hitherto been considered as an exclusive leukocyte marker, but now we report the expression of CD43 in the epithelial cells of all studied colorectal adenomas (21/21) and in about 50% (18/34) of adenocarcinomas as analyzed both at the mRNA and protein levels. Direct evidence showing the causal role of CD43 in colon tumorigenesis is lacking, but its involvement in leukocyte activation and impairment of apoptotic response suggests a role for CD43 in colon cancer development.