Determination of linkages of linear and branched oligosaccharides using closed-ring chromophore labeling and negative ion trap mass spectrometry.

Linear as well as branched oligosaccharides were labeled with p-aminobenzoic ethyl ester (ABEE) using the glycosylamine closed-ring labeling approach and analyzed by negative-ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Linkage specific fragment ions of ABEE labeled linear oligosaccharides were proposed based on the MS2 and MS3 data for several ABEE labeled linear oligosaccharides with known linkage configurations. Fragmentation at the reducing end was similar to that observed for ABEE disaccharides whereas the fragmentation pattern not involving the reducing end was similar to underivatized disaccharides. Based on these ions, all the linkages of linear oligosaccharides could be unambiguously determined. The fragmentation pattern at the branched sugar was in general not quite the same as the linear one. However, many linkage specific fragment ions were also observed for linkages at the branched sugar. These ions along with the ions proposed for linear oligosaccharides were found to be quite useful for the determination of all the linkages of branched oligosaccharides.