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N Viseux

Publications and source records attributed to N Viseux.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the glycosylation pattern of recombinant proteins.

Over the past decade, the growing number of recombinant glycoproteins used as therapeutic agents has prompted the development of robust and rugged methodologies for characterizing the glycosylation pattern of such molecules. The present study describes an alternative to the widely used HPLC approaches for profiling the N-glycan heterogeneity of proteins. The method encompasses the enzymatic deglycosylation of the glycoprotein, the permethylation of the released oligosaccharides, and the subsequent analysis of these derivatives by either matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization or electrospray mass spectrometry. This methodology showed excellent correlation when compared with results obtained by an orthogonal technique such as the HPLC of 2-aminobenzamide-labeled glycans. In addition, it gives a more detailed insight into the glycosylation pattern by unambiguously identifying and quantifying the various glycoforms present in the mixture. Despite a somewhat complex sample preparation, reproducibility and robustness of the method were excellent. In the case of very heterogeneous glycan pools, simplification of the glycosylation pattern was achieved by performing enzymatic desialylation prior to deglycosylation and derivatization, leading to a more direct determination of the antennary distribution as well as the identification of minor components.

Amidohydrolases↗

Post-source decay mass spectrometry: optimized calibration procedure and structural characterization of permethylated oligosaccharides.

Permethylated oligosaccharides were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI/MS) using a reflectron time-of-flight instrument in the post-source decay (PSD) mode. Under these ionization conditions, such derivatives yield intense signals corresponding to sodium or potassium cationized molecular species. Fragments observed in the PSD spectra result exclusively from cleavage of glycosidic bonds, preferentially at N-acetylhexosamine residues. A systematic study was carried out on a series of permethylated oligosaccharides to allow rationalization of the fragmentation processes. Fragments originating from both the reducing and the non-reducing ends of the oligosaccharide yield information on sequence and branching. Moreover, glycosyl residues linked in position 3 of HexNAc units give rise to a highly specific elimination process, which allows unambiguous assignment of (1-3) interglycosidic linkages. Special attention was paid to the structural analysis of oligosaccharides carrying the commonly encountered fucosyl and sialyl end-caps. In the case of sialylated residues, a targeted methodology involving desialylation and specific CD3-labeling of the nascent free hydroxyl groups was developed to mark the initial location of sialic acid residues along the oligosaccharide backbone. As accurate mass determination of fragment ions is essential for their assignment, a simplified protocol for the calibration in the PSD mode is described. This procedure allows the determination of the correction function parameters required to process the data for an instrument that employs post-acceleration detection. MALDI/PSD-MS of permethylated oligosaccharides, by providing structural information at the low picomole level, appears to be a valuable complement, or an alternative, to the techniques currently in use for carbohydrate structural analysis.

Mass Spectrometry↗

Structural assignment of permethylated oligosaccharide subunits using sequential tandem mass spectrometry.

The sequential tandem mass spectrometry (MSn) capabilities offered by quadrupole ion trap instruments have been explored in a systematic study of permethylated oligosaccharides. Under collision-induced dissociation, protonated molecular species generated in the electrospray ionization mode yield simple and predictable mass spectra. Information on sequence, branching, and, to some extent, interglycosidic linkages can be deduced from fragments resulting from the cleavage of glycosidic bonds. Simple rules for the structural assignment of carbohydrates have been established for the fragmentation of protonated species and subunits thereof and corroborated by 18O-labeling experiments. Moreover, sequential tandem mass spectrometry was demonstrated to allow the straightforward structural characterization of unknown carbohydrate moieties by comparing their CID spectra with those of a set of references. As the collision-induced dissociation patterns are not dependent on the number of prior tandem mass spectrometric steps, structures can be unambiguously assigned by match of the spectra. These findings establish the basis of MSn performed on a quadrupole ion trap instrument for elucidating structures of large carbohydrates, which can be virtually degraded in the mass spectrometer into smaller entities in one or several steps. This powerful technique has been applied, used in conjunction with specific CD3 labeling, to the characterization of series of subunits generated from fucosylated and sialylated oligosaccharides, which are among the most important structures as far as biological activities are concerned.

Carbohydrate Sequence↗

Structural analysis of permethylated oligosaccharides by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.

Electrospray tandem mass spectrometry used in conjunction with reversed-phase liquid chromatography was applied to characterize permethylated oligosaccharides. N-Acetylhexosamine-containing carbohydrates yielded under these conditions promoted molecular ions which underwent extensive fragmentation, even under low-energy collision-induced dissociation. MS/MS spectra of [M + H]+ ions are characterized by simple fragmentation patterns which result from cleavage of the glycosidic bonds and thus allow a straightforward interpretation. A systematic study of various oligosaccharides showed that information on sugar sequence and branching could be obtained. The nature of the substituent linked in position 3 of HexNAc-containing fragments could easily be assigned as the result of a specific secondary fragmentation process. The nature of some internal fragments was established on the basis of MS/MS spectra of derivatives 18O-labeled at the reducing end. Furthermore, MS/MS experiments carried out on fragment ions were proven to be useful for the structural characterization of oligosaccharide subunits. Thus, this approach constitutes a powerful tool for the structural assignment of moieties derived from larger glycans.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗

Evaluation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) as an exposure or risk marker in three French coal mining regions.

Several studies have shown the crucial role of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) in the fibrosis induced by dusts containing silica and its role in the transition from simple pneumoconiosis (CWSP) to progressive massive fibrosis (PMF). To evaluate the nocivity of dust exposure among coal miners (n = 474) from different mining regions in France (e.g., Nord-Pas de Calais, Lorraine, and Provence), spontaneous and LPS or silica-induced TNF released by peripheral blood monocytes was quantified. The primary aim of this effort was to study the link between the prevalence of coal workers pneumoconiosis (CWP) and TNF release. TNF levels were significantly different between active miners from the three regions. However, after correction for age and region, TNF was found not to be related to dust exposure. Interestingly, a very low, homogeneous expression of TNF was observed in the group from Provence. These results are probably related to the absence of pneumoconiosis in this area. A positive relation between profusion and TNF release was found for all stimulants among retired miners with PMF. Although in retired miners TNF release was consistently higher, the design of the study does not allow this effect to be separated from that of age. Both silica and nonstimulated TNF release were found to increase with increasing radiological symptoms; the opposite was found for LPS-induced release.

Aging↗