Analysis of N-glycans from Raphanus sativus Cultivars Using PNGase H+

Summary

We describe a simple and rapid method for the preparation and analysis of N-glycans from different cultivars of radish (Raphanus sativus).

Abstract

In recent years, the carbohydrate moieties of plants have received considerable attention, as they are a potential source of cross-reactive, allergy-provoking immune responses. In addition, carbohydrate structures also play a critical role in plant metabolism. Here, we present a simple and rapid method for preparing and analyzing N-glycans from different cultivars of radish (Raphanus sativus) using an N-glycanase specific for the release of plant-derived carbohydrate structures. To achieve this, crude trichloroacetic acid precipitates of radish homogenates were treated with PNGase H⁺, and labeled using 2-aminobenzamide as a fluorescent tag. The labeled N-glycan samples were subsequently analyzed by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) separation and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry for a detailed structural evaluation and to quantify relative abundancies of the radish-derived N-glycan structures. This protocol can also be used for the analysis of N-glycans from various other plant species, and may be useful for further investigation of the function and effects of N-glycans on human health.

Introduction

N-glycans in plants have drawn increased attention in recent years, as previous research has highlighted N-glycans as a potential source of immunological cross-reactions that may provoke allergic responses^1,2. It has been demonstrated previously that N-glycans on plant glycoproteins can affect catalytic activity^3,4, thermostability and folding^5,6 or subcellular localization and secretion⁷. In order to correlate the glycan structures with their ....

Protocol

1. Sample collection

1. Purchase different cultivars of fresh radish (Raphanus sativus L.).

2. Isolation of Protein from Radish

1. Homogenize approximately 100 g of fresh radish with a kitchen blender for 10 min.
2. Transfer the slurry to a 50 mL centrifuge tube and centrifuge at 14,000 × g at 4 °C for 20 min to remove the insoluble material.
3. Transfer the supernatant carefully into a new 50 mL centrifuge tube and add an equal volume of 2 M trichloroacetic acid (TCA) solution.
   NOTE: Adding TCA will precipitate soluble (glyco)proteins.
4. Centrifuge at 14,000 ....

Results

Figure 1 shows a schematic overview of the described protocol, including the isolation of (glyco-)proteins from radish, the preparation of N-glycans, the UPLC analysis, and the MALDI-TOF-MS analysis of these components. Figure 2 shows representative UPLC chromatograms of derivatized N-glycans of the analyzed radish cultivars. Figure 3 shows the obtained results of the 2AB-derivatize.......

Discussion

The protocol we have presented here allows the comparison of the N-glycan profiles of various cultivars of radish. A significant advantage of this method compared to existing protocols is that no buffer changes between the enzymatic release of N-glycans and the derivatization reaction with 2-AB are required. The most critical step of this procedure is the purification of N-glycans using the SPE column, as failure to remove salts or other impurities in the reaction mixture may negatively impact .......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Chemicals:
Trichloroacetic acid	SCR, Shanghai	80132618
Acetic acid glacial	Huada, Guangzhou	64-19-7
Acetonitrile	General-reagent	G80988C
Trifluoroacetic acid	Energy chemical	W810031
2-aminobenzamide	Heowns, Tianjin	A41900
Sodium cyanoborohydride	J&K Scientific Ltd	314162
Dimethyl sulfoxide	Huada, Guangzhou	67-68-5
2AB-labeled dextran ladder, 200 pmol	Agilent Technologies	AT-5190-6998
6-Aza-2-thiothymine	Sigma	275514
Tools/Materials:
Kitchen blender	Bear, Guangzhou	LLJ-A10T1
Centrifuge	Techcomp	CT15RT
Centrifugal Evaporator	Hualida, Taicang	LNG-T120
SPE column	Supelco	Supelclean ENVI Carb SPE column
MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer	Bruker	Autoflex
HPLC Analysis:
High-recovery HPLC vial	Agilent Technologies	# 5188-2788
HPLC System	Shimadzu	Nexera
Fluorescence Detector for HPLC	Shimadzu	RF-20Axs
Column oven	Hengxin	CO-2000
HPLC Column	Waters	Acquity UPLC BEH glycan column	2.1 × 150 mm, 1.7 μm particle size
LCMS-grade Water	Merck Millipore	#WX00011
LCMS-grade Acetonitrile	Merck Millipore	# 100029
Formic acid	Aladdin	F112034
Ammonia solution	Aladdin	A112080