Sugar chain of alpha-fetoprotein produced in human yolk sac tumor.

The carbohydrate moiety of alpha-fetoprotein purified from human yolk sac tumors grown in nude mice was quantitatively released from the polypeptide chain as oligosaccharides by hydrazinolysis. The oligosaccharides were separated into a neutral and two acidic oligosaccharides by paper electrophoresis. By sequential exoglycosidase digestion in combination with per-O-methylation study and periodate oxidation, their structures were determined to be: Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 6(GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4) (Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3)Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4(Fuc alpha 1 leads to 6)GlcNAcOT, Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 6(GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4) (Sia alpha 2 leads to 6Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3)Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4(Fuc alpha 1 leads to 6)GlcNAcOT; and Sia alpha 2 leads to 6Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 6(GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4) (Sia alpha 2 leads to 6Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3)Man beta 1 leads to 4 GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4(Fuc alpha 1 leads to 6)GlcNAcOT, in which Gal is galactose, GlcNac is N-acetylglucosamine, Man is mannose, Fuc is fucose, Sia is sialic acid, and Subscript OT is the NaB3H4-reduced oligosaccharide.