Xg. Zhu et al., Mass spectrometric characterization of the glycosylation pattern of HIV-gp120 expressed in CHO cells, BIOCHEM, 39(37), 2000, pp. 11194-11204
An analytical approach is reported for the characterization of the specific
glycans found on highly glycosylated proteins based on a combination of sp
ecific proteolysis and deglycosylation combined with two different mass spe
ctrometric approaches, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spe
ctrometry, and nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry/tandem mass spectrometry
using a hybrid quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometer. The high
resolution and mass accuracy of the mass spectrometric data obtained on th
e hybrid instrument combined with the high parent mass capabilities are sho
wn to be extremely useful in the site-specific assignment of heterogeneous
glycans. Using this methodology, 25 of 26 consensus glycosylation sites on
HIV-1(SF2) gp120, expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, could be assign
ed. Good correlations between the relative abundances of members of heterog
eneous series in the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spect
ra and the nanoelectrospray mass spectra were observed, indicating that the
mass spectrometric data reflected the actual abundances of the members of
the series. These data were incorporated with molecular modeling based on t
he solved structure of a mutant truncated, highly deglycosylated gp120 to p
ropose a structural model for the completely glycosylated form.