THE CARBOHYDRATE-POLYPEPTIDE LINKAGES, THE AMINO ACID SEQUENCES OF THE PEPTIDES ADJACENT TO SOME OF THESE BONDS, AND THE COMPOSITION AND SIZE OF THE CARBOHYDRATE UNITS OF ALPHA-1-ACID GLYCOPROTEIN

Abstract

1. The glycopeptides derived from a proteolytic digest of sialic acid-free alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein were separated on a DEAE-cellulose column into five main fractions. 2. The average molecular weight of these glycopeptides was 2400, except for one fraction whose molecular weight was 3100. The average molecular weight of the sialic acid-free carbohydrate units was found to be 2200. From these data and the carbohydrate content of the native protein and the assumed molecular weight of 44000, it was concluded that alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein probably possesses five carbohydrate units. The sialic acid-containing carbohydrate units of this glycoprotein have an average molecular weight of 3000, except for one unit the molecular weight of which is significantly higher. 3. The N-, non-N- and C-terminal amino acids of the main glycopeptides were determined. Aspartic acid and threonine occur in most peptides. Alanine, glycine, proline, serine and lysine were present in varying amounts. Traces of other amino acids were also found. 4. The amino acid sequence of three main glycopeptides was established and indicated that these glycopeptides are located at different positions of the polypeptide chain of the glycoprotein. These sequences are: Asp(NH(2))-Pro-Lys; Thr-Asp(NH(2))-Ala; Asp(NH(2))-Gly-Thr. 5. From the results of a series of chemical reactions (periodate oxidation, hydrazinolysis, dinitrophenylation, mild acid hydrolysis) it was shown that the hydroxyl group of the N-terminal threonine and the in-amino group of lysine are free and that the beta-carboxyl group of aspartic acid is present as amide. It was concluded that this amide group is involved in the carbohydrate-polypeptide linkages of at least four carbohydrate units of alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein. 6. The carbohydrate composition of the sialic acid-free glycopeptides was determined in terms of moles of neutral hexoses, glucosamine and fucose/mole. 7. Fucose, at least to the larger part, is not linked to sialic acid, and its (glycosidic) linkage is significantly more stable toward acid hydrolysis than the bond of the sialyl residues. 8. Heterogeneity of the carbohydrate units of alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein was found with regard to size and to content of fucose and sialic acid.