Tandem MS can distinguish hyaluronic acid from N-acetylheparosan.
Isobaric oligosaccharides enzymatically prepared from hyaluronic acid (HA) and N-acetylheparosan (NAH), were distinguished using tandem mass spectrometry. The only difference between the two series of oligosaccharides was the linkage pattern (in HA 1-->3 and in NAH 1-->4) between glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine residues. Tandem mass spectrometry afforded spectra in which glycosidic cleavage fragment ions were observed for both HA and NAH oligosaccharides. Cross-ring cleavage ions 0,2An and 0,2An-h (n is even number) were observed only in GlcNAc residues of NAH oligosaccharides. One exception was an 0,2A2 ion fragment observed for the disaccharide from HA. These cross-ring cleavage fragment ions are useful to definitively distinguish HA and NAH oligosaccharides.
Department of Chemistry, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA.
Zhenqing
Z
Zhang
Jin
J
Xie
Jian
J
Liu
Robert J
RJ
Linhardt
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000737:chemistry; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000032:analysis*; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000032:analysis*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; C030659:K antigens; C527794:N-acetylheparosan; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid