Major O-glycans from the nest of Vespula germanica contain phospho-ethanolamine

Carbohydr Res. 2005 Aug 15;340(11):1852-8. doi: 10.1016/j.carres.2005.05.008.

Abstract

We describe here the structural deciphering of four wasp O-glycans. Following purification of a mixture of glycoproteins from nests of the common wasp Vespula germanica L. (Hymenoptera), their substituting O-glycans were liberated by reducing beta-elimination and characterised using a combination of high resolution NMR and mass spectrometry analyses. Besides ubiquitously found in the insect cells GalNAc-ol and Gal(beta1-3)GalNAc-ol compounds, two novel O-glycans carrying a 2-aminoethyl phosphate group were described for the first time here. We suggest that they present the following structures: Etn-P-(O-->6)-GalNAc-ol and Etn-P-(O-->6)-[Gal(beta1-3)]GalNAc-ol. In conjunction with previous studies, these results suggest that a 2-aminoethyl phosphate group may act as an alternative to sialic acid for conferring charges to glycoproteins.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Carbohydrate Conformation
  • Carbohydrates / chemistry
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Ethanolamines / chemistry*
  • Glycoproteins / chemistry
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / chemistry
  • Oligosaccharides / chemistry
  • Phosphates / chemistry
  • Polysaccharides / chemistry*
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
  • Wasps

Substances

  • Carbohydrates
  • Ethanolamines
  • Glycoproteins
  • Oligosaccharides
  • Phosphates
  • Polysaccharides
  • phosphorylethanolamine
  • N-Acetylneuraminic Acid