Oligosaccharide structures of isolated human colonic mucin species

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Abstract

Purified human colonic mucin contains six distinct components which may be separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Past studies defined the structure of oligosaccharide side chains from the most abundant species III, IV, and V which elute at intermediate salt concentrations. In these studies the structures of oligosaccharide side chains liberated from the remaining early and late eluting species I, II, and VI were determined after isolation by sequential conventional and high performance liquid chromatography through combination of gas chromatography, methylation analysis, and sequential glycosidase digestion. Mucin species I, II, and VI contained a less varied array of discrete oligosaccharide structures than that observed in the major mucin components. Mucin species I and II contained five and 10 structures, respectively, which account for 68 and 71% of total oligosaccharide content in these fractions. The predominant oligosaccharides of mucin species I included three neutral structures: a disaccharide GlcNAcβ(1-3)GalNac-ol, a trisaccharide Galβ(1-4)GlcNAcβ(1-3)GalNAc-ol, and a tetrasaccharide GlcNAcβ(1-4)Galβ(1-4)Glc-NAcβ(1-3)GalNAc-ol as well as two acidic components representing the sialylated forms of two of these oligosaccharides. Mucin species II contained these same oligosaccharides as well as four additional acidic structures, notably a disaccharide Neuα(2-6)GalNac-ol and a hexasaccharide Galβ(1-4)Glc-NAcβ(1-3)Galβ(1-4)GlcNAcβ(1-3) (NeuAcα(2-6))-GalNAc-ol, not identified in any other mucin species. The late eluting mucin species VI contained at least five discrete neutral oligosaccharides and six major acidic structures. While the majority of these structures had been previously isolated from the earlier eluting mucin species IV and V, species VI also contained di- and trisialylated oligosaccharides not identified in other mucin species. In conjunction with earlier studies of the major mucin species III, IV, an V, these data define the range of oligosaccharide structures present in human colonic mucin. These studies demonstrate that human colonic mucin possesses species with characteristic and distinguishable combinations of oligosaccharides which reflect variations of common core structures.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)15510-15515
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Biological Chemistry
Volume260
Issue number29
StatePublished - 1985

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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