title: Developmentally regulated oligosaccharides in mouse spermatogenic cells.
abstract: Mouse spermatogenic cells were separated into four populations, pachytene spermatocytes, round spermatids, elongated spermatids, and residual bodies. Each cell population was metabolically labeled with [3H]galactose, [3H]glucosamine, or [3H]fucose. Glycopeptides were prepared from the radiolabeled glycoproteins by pronase digestion and fractionated by serial lectin affinity chromatography and gel filtration. The presence of O-linked oligosaccharides was assessed by pronase digestion of [3H]galactose-labeled glycoproteins, exclusion of the radiolabeled glycopeptides from a ConA-Sepharose column, gel filtration, and treatment with alkaline borohydride. This analysis reveals that a large proportion of [3H]galactose-labeled oligosaccharides (47-52%) are O-linked structures, while the majority (80-90%) of [3H]fucose-labeled oligosaccharides are N-linked. The proportions of triantennary, biantennary, oligomannose, and hybrid oligosaccharides linked to asparagine vary with the cell populations. Furthermore, in round spermatids, but not in the other cell populations, a relatively large proportion (15%) of [3H]glucosamine-labeled oligosaccharides consists of terminal O-linked N-acetylglucosamine. Taken together these data show that each spermatogenic cell population contains a unique complement of oligosaccharide structures that could play an important role as differentiation signals in the interactions among these cells and/or with Sertoli cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Denver 80262.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Maylie-Pfenninger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D003208:Concanavalin A; D005643:Fucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005690:Galactose / Q000378:metabolism; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006020:Glycopeptides / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013087:Spermatids / Q000378:metabolism; D013090:Spermatocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: D006020:Glycopeptides; D006023:Glycoproteins; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D014316:Tritium; D003208:Concanavalin A; D005643:Fucose; D005944:Glucosamine; D005690:Galactose