High-sensitivity structural analyses of oligosaccharide probes (neoglycolipids) by liquid-secondary-ion mass spectrometry.

The sensitivity of detection and extent of information on structure obtainable by liquid-secondary-ion mass spectrometry (l.s.i.-m.s.) of neoglycolipids on the conventional target probe and directly from the surface of silica plates following t.l.c. has been assessed. Neoglycolipids were derived from malto-oligosaccharides, chitin oligosaccharides, and a range of deoxyhexose-, hexose-, 2-acetamido-2-deoxyhexose-, and sialic acid-containing mammalian oligosaccharides by reductive amination using phosphatidylethanolamine dipalmitoate (PPEADP). Sub-pmol amounts of the maltopentaose-PPEADP derivative applied directly to the target probe provided information on molecular weight, whereas approximately 1 pmol was required when analysed on the silica gel t.l.c. plate. With a biantennary octasaccharide derivative, the sensitivity of detection was 20-50 times lower and the other oligosaccharides had intermediate sensitivities. Information on composition and sequence was obtained readily from fragment ions, using 5 pmol of the maltopentaose derivative and 50 pmol of the octasaccharide derivative on the target probe, and 50 and 200 pmol, respectively, on the silica gel chromatogram. The optimised conditions formed the basis for characterising the structures of the components of mixtures of oligosaccharides generated from glycoproteins.