title: Glycosylated hemoglobins: increased glycosylation of hemoglobin A in diabetic patients.
abstract: The components of the hemoglobin-A1 fraction--hemoglobins A1a--c--arise from nonenzymatic glycosylation of hemoglobin A at the beta-chain N-terminal amino groups and can be resolved from hemoglobin A by cation exchange chromatography. Glycosylation can also occur at the alpha-chain N-terminals as well as the epsilon-amino groups of lysine residues of both alpha- and beta-chains; this results in glycosylated species appearing in the hemoglobin-A fraction. In this study, we determined the extent of hemoglobin-A glycosylation using a colorimetric chemical method specific for the detection of ketoamine-linked hexoses in proteins. We demonstrate increased glycosylation of the main hemoglobin-A fraction in diabetic patients, which correlates significantly (r = 0.72, P less than 0.001) with the hemoglobin-A1 percentage determined by column chromatography in the corresponding hemolysates. This finding provides the basis for the application of this chemical procedure to the measurement of total glycosylation of hemoglobin.
mesh_terms: D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D003124:Colorimetry; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood*; D006027:Glycosides / Q000097:blood; D006441:Hemoglobin A / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D006027:Glycosides; D006441:Hemoglobin A