The mannose receptor (MR) is an endocytic protein on macrophages and dendritic cells, as well as on hepatic endothelial, kidney mesangial, tracheal smooth muscle, and retinal pigment epithelial cells. The extracellular portion contains two types of carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD): eight membrane-proximal C-type CRDs and a membrane-distal cysteine-rich domain (Cys-MR). The former bind mannose-, N-acetylglucosamine-, and fucose-terminating oligosaccharides, and may be important in innate immunity towards microbial pathogens, and in antigen trapping for processing and presentation in adaptive immunity. Cys-MR binds to the sulfated carbohydrate chains of pituitary hormones and may have a role in hormonal clearance. A second feature of Cys-MR is binding to macrophages in marginal zones of the spleen, and to B cell areas in germinal centers which may help direct MR-bearing cells toward germinal centers during the immune response. Here we describe two novel classes of carbohydrate ligand for Cys-MR: chondroitin-4 sulfate chains of the type found on proteoglycans produced by cells of the immune system, and sulfated blood group chains. We further demonstrate that Cys-MR interacts with cells in the spleen via the binding site for sulfated carbohydrates. Our data suggest that the three classes of sulfated carbohydrate ligands may variously regulate the trafficking and function of MR-bearing cells.

The macrophage and epithelial cell mannose receptor (MR) binds carbohydrates on foreign and host molecules. Two portions of MR recognize carbohydrates: tandemly arranged C-type lectin domains facilitate carbohydrate-dependent macrophage uptake of infectious organisms, and the NH2-terminal cysteine-rich domain (Cys-MR) binds to sulfated glycoproteins including pituitary hormones. To elucidate the mechanism of sulfated carbohydrate recognition, we determined crystal structures of Cys-MR alone and complexed with 4-sulfated-N-acetylgalactosamine at 1.7 and 2.2 Å resolution, respectively. Cys-MR folds into an approximately three-fold symmetric β-trefoil shape resembling fibroblast growth factor. The sulfate portions of 4-sulfated-N-acetylgalactosamine and an unidentified ligand found in the native crystals bind in a neutral pocket in the third lobe. We use the structures to rationalize the carbohydrate binding specificities of Cys-MR and compare the recognition properties of Cys-MR with other β-trefoil proteins.

Biotinyl-oligosaccharides are a relatively new generation of saccharide probes that enable immobilization of desired oligosaccharides on streptavidin matrices for studies of carbohydrate-protein interactions. Here we describe the facile preparation of biotinyl-l-3-(2-naphthyl)-alanine hydrazide (BNAH) derivatives of oligosaccharides, containing a strong UV absorbing and fluorescent group, in which the ring of the reducing-end monosaccharide is nonreduced. We evaluate reactivities of immobilized BNAH- N -glycans with plant lectins that recognize aspects of the oligosaccharide core or outer-arms. We make some comparisons with 2-amino-6-amidobiotinyl-pyridine (BAP) derivatives obtained by reductive amination, and 6-(biotinyl)-aminocaproyl-hydrazide (BACH) derivatives which have a longer spacer-arm. N -Glycan-BNAH and-BAP derivatives have, overall, comparable reactivities with lectins which recognize N -glycan outer-arms or the trimannosyl core, but only BNAH and BACH derivatives are bound by lectins which recognize the non-reduced core. Moreover, with Pisum sativum agglutinin (PSA) which additionally requires the fucosyl- N- glycan-asparaginyl core for high affinity binding, the immobilized BNAH derivative (which is an alanine hydrazide beta-glycoside) can substitute for the natural beta-glycosylasparaginyl core, whereas the BACH derivative (aminocaproyl-hydrazide-beta-glycoside) is less effective. BNAH is a derivatization reagent of choice, therefore, for solid phase carbohydrate-binding experiments with immobilized N -glycans.

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The carbohydrate antigen on heparan sulfate recognized by monoclonal antibody 10E4 is uniquely codistributed with the abnormal prion protein, PrP Sc , even in the earliest detectable brain lesions of scrapie-infected mice. Determining the chemical structure of 10E4 antigen is, therefore, an important aspect of structure elucidation of scrapie lesions, and a prerequisite for designing experiments to understand its role in scrapie pathogenesis. Toward this aim, we have examined preparations of heparan sulfate, with differing sulfate contents, for binding by 10E4 antibody. The highest antigenicity was observed in a preparation (HS-1) with the lowest sulfate content. HS-1 was partially depolymerized with heparin lyase III, and oligosaccharide fragments examined for 10E4 antigen expression by the neoglycolipid technology. An antigen-positive and two antigen-negative tetrasaccharides were isolated and examined by electrospray mass spectrometry. The antigen-positive tetrasaccharide sequence on heparan sulfate was thus deduced to contain a unique unsulfated motif that includes an N-unsubstituted glucosamine in the sequence, UA-GlcN-UA-GlcNAc. Antibody binding experiments with neoglycolipids prepared from a series of heparin/heparan sulfate disaccharides, and the trisaccharide derived from the antigen-positive tetrasaccharide after removal of the terminal hexuronic acid, show that both the penultimate glucosamine and the outer nonsulfated hexuronic acid are important for 10E4 antigenicity.