Highly sulfated hexasaccharide sequences isolated from chondroitin sulfate of shark fin cartilage: insights into the sugar sequences with bioactivities

Glycobiology. 2013 Feb;23(2):155-68. doi: 10.1093/glycob/cws137. Epub 2012 Sep 26.

Abstract

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) chains regulate the development of the central nervous system in vertebrates and are linear polysaccharides consisting of variously sulfated repeating disaccharides, [-4GlcUAβ1-3GalNAcβ1-](n), where GlcUA and GalNAc represent D-glucuronic acid and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, respectively. CS chains containing D-disaccharide units [GlcUA(2-O-sulfate)-GalNAc(6-O-sulfate)] are involved in the development of cerebellar Purkinje cells and neurite outgrowth-promoting activity through interaction with a neurotrophic factor, pleiotrophin, resulting in the regulation of signaling. In this study, to obtain further structural information on the CS chains containing d-disaccharide units involved in brain development, oligosaccharides containing D-units were isolated from a shark fin cartilage. Seven novel hexasaccharide sequences, ΔO-D-D, ΔA-D-D, ΔC-D-D, ΔE-A-D, ΔD-D-C, ΔE-D-D and ΔA-B-D, in addition to three previously reported sequences, ΔC-A-D, ΔC-D-C and ΔA-D-A, were isolated from a CS preparation of shark fin cartilage after exhaustive digestion with chondroitinase AC-I, which cannot act on the galactosaminidic linkages bound to D-units. The symbol Δ stands for a 4,5-unsaturated bond of uronic acids, whereas A, B, C, D, E and O represent [GlcUA-GalNAc(4-O-sulfate)], [GlcUA(2-O-sulfate)-GalNAc(4-O-sulfate)], [GlcUA-GalNAc(6-O-sulfate)], [GlcUA(2-O-sulfate)-GalNAc(6-O-sulfate)], [GlcUA-GalNAc(4-O-, 6-O-sulfate)] and [GlcUA-GalNAc], respectively. In binding studies using an anti-CS monoclonal antibody, MO-225, the epitopes of which are involved in cerebellar development in mammals, novel epitope structures, ΔA-D-A, ΔA-D-D and ΔA-B-D, were revealed. Hexasaccharides containing two consecutive D-units or a B-unit will be useful for the structural and functional analyses of CS chains particularly in the neuroglycobiological fields.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetylgalactosamine / chemistry
  • Acetylgalactosamine / metabolism
  • Animal Fins* / chemistry
  • Animal Fins* / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Cartilage / chemistry
  • Cartilage / immunology
  • Cartilage / metabolism
  • Chondroitin Sulfates* / chemistry
  • Chondroitin Sulfates* / isolation & purification
  • Chondroitin Sulfates* / metabolism
  • Chondroitinases and Chondroitin Lyases* / chemistry
  • Chondroitinases and Chondroitin Lyases* / isolation & purification
  • Chondroitinases and Chondroitin Lyases* / metabolism
  • Epitopes / immunology
  • Epitopes / metabolism
  • Nerve Growth Factors / chemistry
  • Nerve Growth Factors / immunology
  • Nerve Growth Factors / metabolism
  • Oligosaccharides* / chemistry
  • Oligosaccharides* / isolation & purification
  • Oligosaccharides* / metabolism
  • Protein Binding / immunology
  • Purkinje Cells / metabolism
  • Purkinje Cells / physiology
  • Sharks
  • Sulfates / immunology
  • Sulfates / metabolism
  • Uronic Acids / immunology
  • Uronic Acids / metabolism

Substances

  • Epitopes
  • Nerve Growth Factors
  • Oligosaccharides
  • Sulfates
  • Uronic Acids
  • Chondroitin Sulfates
  • Chondroitinases and Chondroitin Lyases
  • Acetylgalactosamine