title: Structural characterization of the N-glycans of gp273, the ligand for sperm-egg interaction in the mollusc bivalve Unio elongatulus.
abstract: Gp273, a glycoprotein of the egg extracellular coats of the mollusc bivalve Unio elongatulus, is the ligand molecule for sperm-egg interaction during fertilization. In this study we have analyzed the N-glycans from gp273. N-glycans were enzymatically released by PNGase F digestion and their structures were elucidated by normal phase HPLC profiling of the 2-aminobenzamide-labeled N-glycans, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The combined data revealed that the N-glycans of gp273 consist of Glc1Man9GlcNAc2 and Man9GlcNAc2. In Unio, the presence of noncomplex-type N-glycans parallels the inefficacy of these glycans in the ligand function. Their role in the protection of the polypeptide chain from proteolytic attack is suggested by the electrophoretic patterns obtained after enzymatic digestion of the native and the N-deglycosylated protein. These results are discussed in the light of the evolution of the recognition and adhesion properties of oligosaccharide chains in the fertilization process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Di Patrizi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capone
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Focarelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rosati
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Gallego
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Gerwig
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Vliegenthart
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008024:Ligands; D008974:Mollusca; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D010449:Peptide Mapping; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D008024:Ligands; D011134:Polysaccharides