Chemical characterization of milk oligosaccharides of the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)

Tadasu Urashima, Saori Fujita, Kenji Fukuda, Tadashi Nakamura, Tadao Saito, Phil Cowan, Michael Messer

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    14 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Structural characterizations of marsupial milk oligosaccharides have been performed in only three species: the tammar wallaby, the red kangaroo and the koala. To clarify the homology and heterogeneity of milk oligosaccharides among marsupials, 21 oligosaccharides of the milk carbohydrate fraction of the common brushtail possum were characterized in this study. Neutral and acidic oligosaccharides were separated from the carbohydrate fraction of mid-lactation milk and characterized by 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The structures of the 7 neutral oligosaccharides were Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc (3'-galactosyllactose), Gal(β1-3) Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc (3", 3'-digalactosyllactose), Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc, Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc, Gal(β1-3)[Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc (lacto-N-novopentaose I), Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)[Gal(β1-4) GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc (galactosyl lacto-N-novopentaose I), Gal(β1-3)[Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc (galactosyl lacto-N-novopentaose II). The structures of the 14 acidic oligosaccharides detected were Neu5Ac(α2-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc (sialyl 3'-galactosyllactose), Gal(β1-3)(O-3-sulfate)[Gal(β1-4) GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc (lacto-N-novopentaose I sulfate a) Gal(β1-3)[Gal(β1-4)(O-3-sulfate)GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc (lacto-N-novopentaose I sulfate b), Neu5Ac(α2-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1- 3)Gal(β1-4)Glc, Neu5Ac(α2-3)Gal(β1-3)[Gal(β1-4) GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc (sialyl lacto-N-novopentaose a), Gal(β1-3)(-3-O-sulfate)Gal(β1-3)[Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-6)] Gal(β1-4)Glc, Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)[Gal(β1-4)(-3-O-sulfate) GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc, Gal(β1-3)[Neu5Ac(α2-6) Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc (sialyl lacto-N-novopentaose b), Neu5Ac(α2-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-4) Glc, Gal(β1-3)(-3-O-sulphate)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3) Gal(β1-4)Glc, Neu5Ac(α2-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)[Gal(β1-4) GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc, Gal(β1-3)(-3-O-sulphate)Gal(β1-3) Gal(β1-3)[Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc, Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3)[Gal(β1-4)(-3-O-sulphate) GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc and Gal(β1-3)Gal(β1-3) [Neu5Ac(α2-6)Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc (galactosyl sialyl lacto-N-novopentaose b). No fucosyl oligosaccharides were detected. Galactosyl lacto-N-novopentaose II, lacto-N-novopentaose I sulfate a, lacto-N-novopentaose I sulfate b and galactosyl sialyl lacto-N-novopentaose b are novel oligosaccharides. The results are compared with those of previous studies on marsupial milk oligosaccharides.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)387-399
    Number of pages13
    JournalGlycoconjugate Journal
    Volume31
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2014 Jul

    Keywords

    • Common brushtail possum
    • Marsupials
    • Milk oligosaccharides

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Biochemistry
    • Molecular Biology
    • Cell Biology

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