Purified human mucins from different parts of the intestinal tract (ileum, cecum, transverse and sigmoid colon and rectum) were isolated from two individuals with blood group ALeb (A-Lewisb). After alkaline borohydride treatment the released oligosaccharides were structurally characterized by nano-ESI Q-TOF MS/MS (electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem MS) without prior fractionation or derivatization. More than 100 different oligosaccharides, with up to ten monosaccharide residues, were identified using this technique. Oligosaccharides based on core 3 structures, GlcNAc(β1-3)GalNAc (where GlcNAc is N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and GalNAc is N-acetylgalactosamine), were widely distributed in human intestinal mucins. Core 5 structures, GalNAc(α1-3)GalNAc, were also recovered in all fractions. Moreover, a comparison of the oligosaccharide repertoire, with respect to size, diversity and expression of glycans and terminal epitopes, showed a high level of mucin-specific glycosylation: highly fucosylated glycans, found specifically in the small intestine, were mainly based on core 4 structures, GlcNAc-(β1-3)[GlcNAc(β1-6)]GalNAc, whereas the sulpho-LeX determinant carrying core 2 glycans, Gal(β1-3)[GlcNAc(β1-6)]-GalNAc (where Gal is galactose), was recovered mainly in the distal colon. Blood group H and A antigenic determinants were present exclusively in the ileum and cecum, whereas blood group Sda/Cad related epitopes, GalNAc(β1-4)[NeuAc(α2-3)]Gal (where NeuAc is N-acetylneuraminate), were found to increase along the length of the colon. Our findings suggest that mucins create an enormous repertoire of potential binding sites for micro-organisms that could explain the regio-specific colonization of bacteria in the human intestinal tract.
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Research Article|
November 23 2004
Structural diversity and specific distribution of O-glycans in normal human mucins along the intestinal tract
Catherine ROBBE
;
Catherine ROBBE
*
Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS/USTL 8576, Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, IFR 118, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille 1, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France
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Calliope CAPON
;
Calliope CAPON
1
*
Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS/USTL 8576, Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, IFR 118, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille 1, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France†
Laboratoire de Biochimie, Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques de Lille 2, 59006 Lille Cedex, France1
To whom correspondence should be addressed (email calliope.capon@univ-lille1.fr).
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Bernadette CODDEVILLE
;
Bernadette CODDEVILLE
*
Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS/USTL 8576, Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, IFR 118, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille 1, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France
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Jean-Claude MICHALSKI
Jean-Claude MICHALSKI
*
Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS/USTL 8576, Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, IFR 118, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille 1, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France
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Biochem J (2004) 384 (2): 307-316.
Article history
Received:
April 13 2004
Revision Received:
September 06 2004
Accepted:
September 13 2004
Accepted Manuscript online:
September 13 2004
Connected Content
A commentary has been published:
Intestinal candyfloss
Citation
Catherine ROBBE, Calliope CAPON, Bernadette CODDEVILLE, Jean-Claude MICHALSKI; Structural diversity and specific distribution of O-glycans in normal human mucins along the intestinal tract. Biochem J 1 December 2004; 384 (2): 307–316. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BJ20040605
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