Separation of the complex asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of the glycoprotein fetuin and elucidation of three triantennary structures having sialic acids linked only to galactose residues.

Asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of the glycoprotein fetuin were isolated as reducing oligosaccharides after hydrazinolysis/re-N-acetylation/mild acid treatment of the Pronase-digested glycoprotein. The sialylated oligosaccharides were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography in two different systems, which resulted in greater than 35 fractions, comprising di-, tri-, tetra-, and pentasialylated oligosaccharides. The major components were isomeric structures comprising the tri- and tetrasialylated fractions. In this and the accompanying paper (Cumming et al., 1989), the structures of 10 of the major components of the tri-, tetra-, and pentasialylated oligosaccharide fractions are described. Separation protocols and three isolated structures having sialic acid linked only to galactose are presented in this paper.