title: The major surface carbohydrates of the Echinococcus granulosus cyst: mucin-type O-glycans decorated by novel galactose-based structures.
abstract: The cestodes constitute important but understudied human and veterinary parasites. Their surfaces are rich in carbohydrates, on which very little structural information is available. The tissue-dwelling larva (hydatid cyst) of the cestode Echinococcus granulosus is outwardly protected by a massive layer of carbohydrate-rich extracellular matrix, termed the laminated layer. The monosaccharide composition of this layer suggests that its major carbohydrate components are exclusively mucin-type O-glycans. We have purified these glycans after their release from the crude laminated layer and obtained by MS and NMR the complete structure of 10 of the most abundant components. The structures, between two and six residues in length, encompass a limited number of biosynthetic motifs. The mucin cores 1 and 2 are either nondecorated or elongated by a chain of Galpbeta1-3 residues. This chain can be capped by a single Galpalpha1-4 residue, such capping becoming more dominant with increasing chain size. In addition, the core 2 N-acetylglucosamine residue is in cases substituted with the disaccharide Galpalpha1-4Galpbeta1-4, giving rise to the blood P(1)-antigen motif. Larger, also related, glycans exist, reaching at least 18 residues in size. The glycans described are related but larger than those previously described from an Echinococcus multilocularis mucin [Hulsmeier, A. J., et al. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 5742-5748]. Our results reveal that the E. granulosus cyst exposes to the host only a few different major carbohydrate motifs. These motifs are composed essentially of galactose units and include the elongation by (Galpbeta1-3)(n) and the capping by Galpalpha1-4, novel in animal mucin-type O-glycans.
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Inmunología, Departamento de Biociencias (Facultad de Química) e Instituto de Química Biológica (Facultad de Ciencias), UdelaR, Montevideo, Uruguay. adiaz@fq.edu.uy
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: E Carolina
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: Adriane R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Todeschini
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soulé
authors.forename: Humberto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casaravilla
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Portela
authors.forename: Ronaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mohana-Borges
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mendonça-Previato
authors.forename: Jose O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Previato
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002417:Cattle; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology*; D048209:Echinococcus granulosus / Q000737:chemistry*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000737:chemistry; D005690:Galactose / Q000737:chemistry*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008759:Methylglycosides / Q000737:chemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009077:Mucins / Q000737:chemistry*; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000737:chemistry; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013402:Sugar Alcohols / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008759:Methylglycosides; D009077:Mucins; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D011134:Polysaccharides; D013402:Sugar Alcohols; D005690:Galactose