The role of glycoproteins in nasopharyngeal carcinoma pathogenesis

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)is a malignant tumor arising from the nasopharyngeal epithelium.It consists of undifferentiated squamous cells in the nasopharynx.This type of epithelial cell neoplasm is globally distributed,with the highest prevalence observed in certain regions of the world.It has been known since ancient times.The incidence of NPC is steadily decreasing as data on the molecular factors involved in the pathogenesis of NPC accumulate.Glycoproteins are characterized by polymers of saccharides attached to the amino acid sequences of proteins during the process of glycosylation.They are present in all animal cells and are especially abundant on the surface of tumor cells.Alterations in expression of cellular glycoproteins have recently attracted attention as a key component of neoplastic progression.Tumor-associated glycoproteins may serve as a hallmark of cancer cells and thus represent novel diagnostic and even therapeutic targets.Interest in the role of glycoproteins in cancer in general and specifically in NPC pathology has steadily increased over the past fifty years,reaching over thousands and two hundred publications in the last five years,respectively.Here,data on a specific class of proteins,glycoproteins,involved in tumorigenesis of NPCs are summarized,with a focus on a few of the best-studied ones.Relevant studies performed mainly in the last five years were retrieved and collected through the PubMed system.

Blood biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease:important considerations for use in clinical practice

Introduction:Fluid and positron emission tomography(PET)biomarkers that enable the detection of the hallmark proteins of Alzheimer’s disease(AD)(amyloid and tau)have revolutionized our approach to the diagnosis of AD.The evolution of AD diagnostic criteria to include biological characterization(Alzheimer’s Association Working Group,2023)provides an appropriate framework to reduce levels of clinico-pathologic mismatch and improve in-vivo diagnostic accuracy.As the therapeutic landscape for neurodegenerative disease evolves,it is increasingly incumbent on clinicians to provide timely,and pathologically precise diagnoses for patients.However,the expensive and invasive nature of these tests limits their scalability.

Beyond wrecking a wall:revisiting the concept of blood–brain barrier breakdown in ischemic stroke

The blood–brain barrier constitutes a dynamic and interactive boundary separating the central nervous system and the peripheral circulation.It tightly modulates the ion transport and nutrient influx,while restricting the entry of harmful factors,and selectively limiting the migration of immune cells,thereby maintaining brain homeostasis.Despite the well-established association between blood–brain barrier disruption and most neurodegenerative/neuroinflammatory diseases,much remains unknown about the factors influencing its physiology and the mechanisms underlying its breakdown.Moreover,the role of blood–brain barrier breakdown in the translational failure underlying therapies for brain disorders is just starting to be understood.This review aims to revisit this concept of“blood–brain barrier breakdown,”delving into the most controversial aspects,prevalent challenges,and knowledge gaps concerning the lack of blood–brain barrier integrity.By moving beyond the oversimplistic dichotomy of an“open”/“bad”or a“closed”/“good”barrier,our objective is to provide a more comprehensive insight into blood–brain barrier dynamics,to identify novel targets and/or therapeutic approaches aimed at mitigating blood–brain barrier dysfunction.Furthermore,in this review,we advocate for considering the diverse time-and location-dependent alterations in the blood–brain barrier,which go beyond tight-junction disruption or brain endothelial cell breakdown,illustrated through the dynamics of ischemic stroke as a case study.Through this exploration,we seek to underscore the complexity of blood–brain barrier dysfunction and its implications for the pathogenesis and therapy of brain diseases.

Refractory lipoatrophy treated with autologous whole blood injection:A case report

BACKGROUND Intramuscular corticosteroid injection may cause adverse effects such as dermal and/or subcutaneous atrophy,alopecia,hypopigmentation,and hyperpigmentation.Although cutaneous atrophy can spontaneously resolve,several treatment options have been suggested for this condition.CASE SUMMARY In this paper,we report a case of corticosteroid injection induced lipoatrophy treated with autologous whole blood(AWB)injection,as the condition had been unresponsive to fractional laser therapy.A 29-year-old female patient visited the dermatology clinic complaining of skin depression on her right buttock area,which had appeared six months earlier.There had been only subtle improvement at the margins after fractional CO2 laser treatment;therefore,after obtaining informed consent from the patient,AWB treatment was initiated.One month after the first AWB injection,the size and depth of the lesion had noticeably improved,and a slight improvement was also observed in discoloration.CONCLUSION Close observation is the initial treatment of choice for steroid induced skin atrophy;however,for patients in need of immediate cosmetic improvement,AWB injection may be a safe and cost-effective alternative.

Blood diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a devastating neurodegenerative disease for which the current treatment approaches remain severely limited.The principal pathological alterations of the disease include the selective degeneration of motor neurons in the brain,brainstem,and spinal cord,as well as abnormal protein deposition in the cytoplasm of neurons and glial cells.The biological markers under extensive scrutiny are predominantly located in the cerebrospinal fluid,blood,and even urine.Among these biomarke rs,neurofilament proteins and glial fibrillary acidic protein most accurately reflect the pathologic changes in the central nervous system,while creatinine and creatine kinase mainly indicate pathological alterations in the peripheral nerves and muscles.Neurofilament light chain levels serve as an indicator of neuronal axonal injury that remain stable throughout disease progression and are a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker with high specificity and sensitivity.However,there are challenges in using neurofilament light chain to diffe rentiate amyotrophic lateral sclerosis from other central nervous system diseases with axonal injury.Glial fibrillary acidic protein predominantly reflects the degree of neuronal demyelination and is linked to non-motor symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis such as cognitive impairment,oxygen saturation,and the glomerular filtration rate.TAR DNA-binding protein 43,a pathological protein associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,is emerging as a promising biomarker,particularly with advancements in exosome-related research.Evidence is currently lacking for the value of creatinine and creatine kinase as diagnostic markers;however,they show potential in predicting disease prognosis.Despite the vigorous progress made in the identification of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis biomarkers in recent years,the quest for definitive diagnostic and prognostic biomarke rs remains a formidable challenge.This review summarizes the latest research achievements concerning blood biomarkers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that can provide a more direct basis for the differential diagnosis and prognostic assessment of the disease beyond a reliance on clinical manifestations and electromyography findings.

Peripheral blood RNA biomarkers can predict lesion severity in degenerative cervical myelopathy

Degenerative cervical myelopathy is a common cause of spinal cord injury,with longer symptom duration and higher myelopathy severity indicating a worse prognosis.While numerous studies have investigated serological biomarkers for acute spinal cord injury,few studies have explored such biomarkers for diagnosing degenerative cervical myelopathy.This study involved 30 patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy(51.3±7.3 years old,12 women and 18 men),seven healthy controls(25.7±1.7 years old,one woman and six men),and nine patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy(51.9±8.6 years old,three women and six men).Analysis of blood samples from the three groups showed clear differences in transcriptomic characteristics.Enrichment analysis identified 128 differentially expressed genes that were enriched in patients with neurological disabilities.Using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analysis,we constructed a five-gene model(TBCD,TPM2,PNKD,EIF4G2,and AP5Z1)to diagnose degenerative cervical myelopathy with an accuracy of 93.5%.One-gene models(TCAP and SDHA)identified mild and severe degenerative cervical myelopathy with accuracies of 83.3%and 76.7%,respectively.Signatures of two immune cell types(memory B cells and memory-activated CD4^(+)T cells)predicted levels of lesions in degenerative cervical myelopathy with 80%accuracy.Our results suggest that peripheral blood RNA biomarkers could be used to predict lesion severity in degenerative cervical myelopathy.

Acrosome reaction： relevance of zona pellucida glycoproteins

During mammalian fertilisation, the zona pellucida （ZP） matrix surrounding the oocyte is responsible for the binding of the spermatozoa to the oocyte and induction of the acrosome reaction （AR） in the ZP-bound spermatozoon. The AR is crucial for the penetration of the ZP matrix by spermatozoa. The ZP matrix in mice is composed of three glycoproteins designated ZP1, ZP2 and ZP3, whereas in humans, it is composed of four （ZP1, ZP2, ZP3 and ZP4）. ZP3 acts as the putative primary sperm receptor and is responsible for AR induction in mice, whereas in humans （in addition to ZP3）, ZP1 and ZP4 also induce the AR. The ability of ZP3 to induce the AR resides in its C-terminal fragment. O-linked glycans are critical for the murine ZP3-mediated AR. However, N-linked glycans of human ZP1, ZP3 and ZP4 have important roles in the induction of the AR. Studies with pharmacological inhibitors showed that the ZP3-induced AR involves the activation of the Gi-coupled receptor pathway, whereas ZP1- and ZP4-mediated ARs are independent of this pathway. The ZP3-induced AR involves the activation of T-type voltage-operated calcium channels （VOCCs）, whereas ZP1- and ZP4-induced ARs involve both T- and L-type VOCCs. To conclude, in mice, ZP3 is primarily responsible for the binding of capacitated spermatozoa to the ZP matrix and induction of the AR, whereas in humans （in addition to ZP3）, ZP1 and ZP4 also participate in these stages of fertilisation.

Glycoproteins and glycoproteomics in pancreatic cancer

Aberrations in protein glycosylation and polysaccharides play a pivotal role in pancreatic tumorigenesis, influencing cancer progression, metastasis, immunoresponse and chemoresistance. Abnormal expression in sugar moieties can impact the function of various glycoproteins, including mucins, surface receptors, adhesive proteins, proteoglycans, as well as their effectors and binding ligands, resulting in an increase in pancreatic cancer invasiveness and a cancerfavored microenvironment. Recent advance in glycoproteomics, glycomics and other chemical biology techniques have been employed to better understand the complex mechanism of glycosylation events and how they orchestrate molecular activities in genomics, proteomics and metabolomics implicated in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. A variety of strategies have been demonstrated targeting protein glycosylation and polysaccharides for diagnostic and therapeutic development.

Effect of Xiaoyu Zhixue Tablet (消瘀止血片) on Expression ofPlatelet Membrane Glycoproteins in Patients withHemorrhagic Thrombopathy

Objective: To observe the effect of Xiaoyu Zhixue tablet (消瘀止血片,XYZXT) on the expression of platelet membrane glycoproteins in patients with hemorrhagic thrombopathy, and to explore its possible mechanism. Methods: The total of 148 patients with hemorrhagic thrombopathy were randomly divided into two groups, the traditional Chinese medicicne (TCM) group (n=98) treated with XYZXT and the Western medicine (WM) group (n=50) treated with adrenosin, vitamins C, K and P, both for 6 months. The therapeutic effect and the recovery rate of platelet aggregation in the two groups were observed. And platelet membrane glycoprotein (GP) Ⅰb/Ⅸ, GPⅡb/Ⅲa complexes, GPⅠb, GPⅡb, GP Ⅲa and P-selectin were analyzed by flow cytometry in both groups before and after treatment and also in 34 normal healthy subjects. Results: The total effective rate of hemostasis was 89. 8% in TCM group and 54. 0% in the WM group (x2=45.83, P<0.01), and the recovery rate of platelet aggregation was 72.4% and 4.0% respectively (x2=62.06, P<0.01). The fluorescence intensity of GP Ⅰ b/Ⅸ, GPⅡb/Ⅲa complexes, GPⅠb, GPⅢa and P-selectin were lower in both groups before treatment than those in the healthy subjects. Expression of above-mentioned marks was elevated in TCM group after 6 months' therapy, which was insignificantly different as compared with the healthy subjects (P>0.05) and higher than those in the WM group (P<0.05). Conclusion: One of the mechanisms in treating hemorrhagic thrombopathy with XYZXT is that it could regulate the expression of GP Ⅰb/Ⅸ, GPⅡ b/Ⅲa complexes, GPⅠb, GPⅢa and P-selectin at the level of receptor protein.

Quantitative proteomic analysis for high-throughput screening of differential glycoproteins in hepatocellular carcinoma serum

Objective： Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Novel serum biomarkers are required to increase the sensitivity and specificity of serum screening for early HCC diagnosis. This study employed a quantitative proteomic strategy to analyze the differential expression of serum glycoproteins between HCC and normal control serum samples. Methods： Lectin affinity chromatography （LAC） was used to enrich glycoproteins from the serum samples. Quantitative mass spectrometric analysis combined with stable isotope dimethyl labeling and 2D liquid chromatography （LC） separations were performed to examine the differential levels of the detected proteins between HCC and control serum samples. Western blot was used to analyze the differential expression levels of the three serum proteins. Results： A total of 2,280 protein groups were identified in the serum samples from HCC patients by using the 2D LC-MS/MS method. Up to 36 proteins were up-regulated in the HCC serum, whereas 19 proteins were down-regulated. Three differential glycoproteins, namely, fibrinogen gamma chain （FGG）, FOS-like antigen 2 （FOSL2）, and a-l, 6-mannosylglycoprotein 6-^-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase B （MGATSB） were validated by Western blot. All these three proteins were up-regulated in the HCC serum samples. Conclusion： A quantitative glycoproteomic method was established and proven useful to determine potential novel biomarkers for HCC.

Purifi cation, characterization and hypoglycemic activity of glycoproteins obtained from pea (Pisum sativum L.)

This study aimed to isolate and characterize the structures of glycoproteins from peas and determine their hypoglycemic activity.The crude pea glycoproteins(PGP)were extracted by hot water and purified by diethylaminoethyl(DEAE)-Sepharose chromatography and Sephadex G-100 size-exclusion chromatography in sequence.Then three main fractions were obtained,namely PGP1,PGP2 and PGP3,with molecular weights of 897615,846740 and 1194692 Da,respectively.The physical and chemical properties of the three fractions were evaluated and compared by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR),scanning electron microscope(SEM),high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)and other analytical techniques.The fraction PGP2 with the highest hypoglycemic activity,was screened using the Caco-2 monolayer cell model.It can inhibit the uptake of glucose in the small intestine,as well as the activities of maltase and sucrase.After simulated gastrointestinal digestion,PGP2 signifi cantly enhanced the inhibitory effect of α-glucosidase,and slightly reduced the inhibitory ability ofα-amylase.In summary,PGP2 possessed strong hypoglycemic activity after digestion.These results indicated that PGP2 has the potential to be developed into a functional food or natural medicine for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Screening of Extraction Methods for Glycoproteins from Jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum) Oral-Arms by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

In order to select an optimum extraction method for the target glycoprotein （TGP） from jellyfish （Rhopilema esculentum） oral-arms, a high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）-assay for the determination of the TGP was developed Purified target glycoprotein was taken as a standard glycoprotein. The results showed that the calibration curves for peak area plotted against concentration for TGP were linear （r= 0.9984, y=4.5895x＋47.601） over concentrations ranging from 50 to 400mgL^-1. The mean extraction recovery was 97.84% （CV2.60%）. The fractions containing TGP were isolated from jellyfish （R esculentum） oral-arms by four extraction methods： 1） water extraction （WE）, 2） phosphate buffer solution （PBS） extraction （PE）, 3） ultrasound-assisted water extraction （UA-WE）, 4） ultrasound-assisted P/3S extraction （UA-PE）. The lyophilized extract was dissolved in Milli-Q water and analyzed directly on a short TSK-GEL G4000PWXL （7.8 mm×300 ram） column. Our results indicated that the UA-PE method was the optimum extraction method selected by HPLC.

Pregnancy-associated glycoproteins as a potential marker for diagnosis of earlypregnancy in goats: A scoping reviewing

Early diagnosis of pregnancy plays an important role to minimize reproductive losses in farm animals.There are several methods for pregnancy diagnosis like profiling of reproductive hormones(such as progesterone and estrone sulfate),but sometimes they provide false-positive results.Embryo specific pregnancy markers,which delineate the presence and viability of the embryo,are considered as perfect for pregnancy determination.Pregnancy-associated glycoproteins are distinguished as the best indicator for the determination of early pregnancy,fetal number,and birth weight of kids.Pregnancy-associated glycoproteins are structurally correlated to aspartic proteinase and are communicated in the external epithelial cell layer of the placenta.They have been found to share about half amino acid sequence identity with pepsinogen,pepsin,cathepsin D and E.Dislike different individuals from aspartic proteinase family,numerous pregnancy-associated glycoproteins appear to be latent compound as a result of amino acid substitutions in and around the catalytic site.This review is to discuss the scope and prospects of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins as a pregnancy marker in farm animals,more specifically in goats.

Clinical impact of hepatitis B and C virus envelope glycoproteins

Chronic infection by either hepatitis B virus(HBV)or hepatitis C virus(HCV)share epidemiological characteristics with risks for development of severe complications such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.HBV and HCV also share a high genetic variability. Among highly variable regions,viral genes encoding surface proteins(hepatitis B surface antigen,E1/E2 HCV glycoproteins)play key roles in the stimulation of the host-related immune response and viral entry into hepatocytes.Specific segments of HBV envelope proteins(preS1,"a"determinant)are crucial in the entry process into permissive cells.HCV entry is a complex multistep process involving multiple cell cofactors (glycosaminoglycans,low density lipoprotein receptor, SR-B1,CD81,claudin-1,occludin,EGFR,EphA2)in the interaction with HCV E1/E2 envelope glycoproteins.In vitro both viruses can be controlled by antibody-me-diated neutralization targeting viral envelope,also essential in preventing HBV infection in vivo as observed through successful vaccination using HBs antigen.But preventive vaccination and/or therapeutic pressure can influence HBV and HCV variability.For HBV,the patterns of antiviral drug resistance in chronic hepatitis are complex and the original pol/S gene overlap has to be taken into account.Treatment-induced HBV mutations in pol could indeed generate S mutants with subsequent modified antigenicity or increased cancer induction.Variability of HBV and HCV envelope proteins combining high exposure to selective pressures and crucial functional roles require investigation in the context of diagnostic,vaccination and treatment tools.In this editorial a synthesis is performed of HBV and HCV envelope properties at the entry step and as antigenic proteins,and the subsequent clinical impact.

Mitochondrial expression and activity of P-glycoprotein under oxidative stress in outer blood-retinal barrier

AIM： To investigate the role of oxidative stress in regulating the functional expression of P-glycoprotein（P-gp） in mitochondria of D407 cells.METHODS： D407 cells were exposed to different ranges of concentrations of H2O2. The mitochondrial location of P-gp in the cells subjected to oxidative stress was detected by confocal analysis. Expression of P-gp in isolated mitochondria was assessed by Western blot. The pump activity of P-gp was evaluated by performing the efflux study on isolated mitochondria with Rhodamine 123（Rho-123） alone and in the presence of P-gp inhibitor（Tariquidar） using flow cytometry analysis. The cells were pretreated with 10 mmol/L N-acetylcysteine（NAC） for 30 min before exposing to H2O2, and analyzed the mitochondrial extracts by Western blot and flow cytometry.RESULTS： P-gp was co-localized in the mitochondria by confocal laser scanning microscopy, and it was also detected in the mitochondria of D407 cells using Western blot. Exposure to increasing concentrations of H2O2 led to gradually increased expression and location of P-gp in the mitochondria of cells. Rho-123 efflux assay showed higher uptake of Rho-123 on isolated mitochondria in the presence of Tariquidar both in normal and oxidative stress state. H2O2 up-regulated P-gp in D407 cells, which could be reversed by NAC treatment. CONCLUSION： H2O2 could up-regulate the functional expression of P-gp in mitochondria of D407 cells, while antioxidants might suppress oxidative-stress-induced over-expression of functional P-gp. It is indicative that limiting the mitochondrial P-gp transport in retinal pigment epithelium cells would be to improve the effect of mitochondria-targeted antioxidant therapy in age-related macular degeneration-like retinopathy.

Astrocytes dynamically regulate the blood-brain barrier in the healthy brain

The blood-brain barrier(BBB)(discovered and defined by Max Lewandowsky and Lina Stern,and not,as it is universally,and yet erroneously believed,by Paul Ehrlich(Verkhratsky and Pivoriunas,2023))that separates the nervous system from the circulation is evolutionarily conserved from arthropods to man.The primeval BBB of the invertebrates and some early vertebrates was made solely by glial cells and secured(in invertebrates)by septate junctions.

Fragmentation stability and retention time-shift obtained by LC-MS/MS to distinguish sialylated N-glycan linkage isomers in therapeutic glycoproteins

Sialylated N-glycan isomers withα2-3 orα2-6 linkage(s)have distinctive roles in glycoproteins,but are difficult to distinguish.Wild-type(WT)and glycoengineered(mutant)therapeutic glycoproteins,cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4-immunoglobulin(CTLA4-Ig),were produced in Chinese hamster ovary cell lines;however,their linkage isomers have not been reported.In this study,N-glycans of CTLA4-Igs were released,labeled with procainamide,and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(MS/MS)to identify and quantify sialylated N-glycan linkage isomers.The linkage isomers were distinguished by comparison of 1)intensity of the N-acetylglucosamine ion to the sialic acid ion(Ln/Nn)using different fragmentation stability in MS/MS spectra and 2)retention time-shift for a selective m/z value in the extracted ion chromatogram.Each isomer was distinctively identified,and each quantity(>0.1%)was obtained relative to the total N-glycans(100%)for all observed ionization states.Twenty sialylated N-glycan isomers with onlyα2-3 linkage(s)in WT were identified,and each isomer's sum of quantities was 50.4%.Furthermore,39 sialylated N-glycan isomers(58.8%)in mono-(3 N-glycans;0.9%),bi-(18;48.3%),tri-(14;8.9%),and tetra-(4;0.7%)antennary structures of mutant were obtained,which comprised mono-(15 N-glycans;25.4%),di-(15;28.4%),tri-(8;4.8%),and tetra-(1;0.2%)sialylation,respectively,with onlyα2-3(10 N-glycans;4.8%),bothα2-3 andα2-6(14;18.4%),and onlyα2-6(15;35.6%)linkage(s).These results are consistent with those forα2-3 neuraminidase-treated N-glycans.This study generated a novel plot of Ln/Nn versus retention time to distinguish sialylated N-glycan linkage isomers in glycoprotein.

ANALYSIS OF THE N-GLYCOSYLATION OF THESERUM GLYCOPROTEINS DEFINED BY CON A,PHA-E, RCA1 AND WGA IN CHINESE PATIENTS WITH GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASES

Glycoproteins from tumor cells isolated by Con A, PHAE and RCAI, were coupled to horse radish peroxidase and then used as reporters to evaluate the oligosaccharides change on serum glycoproteins in digestive tract diseases and individual healthy persons. A value 2 standard deviation above the mean of the healthy person group was considered positive. The results indicated that the positive rates of the oligosaccharides bound with Con A, PHA-E and RCAI were 51 % (61/119) . 70. 6% (84/119) , and 76. 4% (91/119) in patients with gastric cancer: 53. 3% (16/30),46. 7% ( 14/30) and 66. 7% (20/30) in esophageal cancers; 28. 5% (15/49), 49. 0% (24/49) and .46. 9% (23/49) in colorectal cancer; 78. 1% (25/ 32) ,81. 3% (26/32) and 31. 3% (10/32) in gallbladder tumors; 60. 4% (29/48), 54. 1% (26/48) and 39. 5% (19/48) in hepatocellular cancer. The positive rates among the patients with benign diseases were also found to be 12. 7% (16/126), 15. 5% (20/126) and 26. 2% (33/126). However, the expression of the oligosaccharide moieties recognized by WGA on the glycoprotein bound with Con A, was significantly lower in the serum of patients with tumors than in those with benign disease and in healthy individuals (P<0. 01 , P<0. 01).

Impact of Borate on Structure of Antifreeze Glycoproteins

Antifreeze glycoproteins(AFGPs)facilitate the survival of various organisms in the polar region by preventing internal ice accumulation via an adsorption-inhibition mechanism.Inhibition of AFGP antifreeze activity by the borate buffers has been widely acknowledged as the direct experimental evidence supporting the hydroxyl,rather than methyl,binding mechanism.On the other hand,perturbation of borate binding on the AFGP configuration,which might have considerable influence on the binding efficiency of not only the hydroxyl but also the methyl groups,has rarely been quantitatively examined.Herein we studied,using molecular dynamics simulations,the perturbation on the configuration of a solvated AFGP8 protein induced by the binding of one single borate anion.Near the freezing point,this binding not only makes the disaccharide groups adjacent to the borate-binding disaccharide close to each other but also affects the entire AFGP8 conformation.The structural changes induced by the binding of borate on different disaccharide sidechains exhibit clear site-specificities and the effect of borate binding on the structural changes is significantly reduced at higher temperatures.Our study is valuable for further understanding the relationship between the structure and antifreeze activity of these antifreeze glycoproteins.

N-glycans released from glycoproteins using a commercial kit and comprehensively analyzed with a hypothetical database

The glycosylation of proteins is responsible for their structural and functional roles in many cellular activities.This work describes a strategy that combines an efficient release, labeling and liquid chromatography–mass spectral analysis with the use of a comprehensive database to analyze N-glycans. The analytical method described relies on a recently commercialized kit in which quick deglycosylation is followed by rapid labeling and cleanup of labeled glycans. This greatly improves the separation, mass spectrometry（MS） analysis and fluorescence detection of N-glycans. A hypothetical database, constructed using Glyc Resoft, provides all compositional possibilities of N-glycans based on the common sugar residues found in N-glycans. In the initial version this database contains ＆gt; 8,700 N-glycans, and is compatible with MS instrument software and expandable. N-glycans from four different well-studied glycoproteins were analyzed by this strategy. The results provided much more accurate and comprehensive data than that had been previously reported. This strategy was then used to analyze the N-glycans present on the membrane glycoproteins of gastric carcinoma cells with different degrees of differentiation. Accurate and comprehensive N-glycan data from those cells was obtained efficiently and their differences were compared corresponding to their differentiation states. Thus, the novel strategy developed greatly improves accuracy, efficiency and comprehensiveness of N-glycan analysis.