Classification of sugar chains of glycoproteins by analyzing reducing end oligosaccharides obtained by partial acid hydrolysis.

Sugar chain types were classified on the basis of reducing end di- and trisaccharide structures. Sugar chains liberated from glycoproteins by the hydrazinolysis-N-acetylation method were pyridylaminated, and pyridylamino (PA-) sugar chains were purified by HPLC. The PA-sugar chains thus purified were partially hydrolyzed with 1 M trifluoroacetic acid. The acid hydrolysis conditions were investigated with the object of obtaining PA-di- and trisaccharides with high yields for different types of PA-sugar chains. The acid hydrolysates were separated by size-fractionation HPLC into PA-mono-, PA-di-, and PA-trisaccharides, and each fraction was analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC. The structures were then identified by comparing the HPLC elution positions with those of authentic PA-oligosaccharides derived from N-linked sugar chains and 12 types of O-linked sugar chains.