Carbohydrate composition of the oligosaccharide units of the haemagglutinin from the Hong Kong influenza virus A/Memphis/102/72.

The haemagglutinin from the Hong Kong influenza virus A/Memphis/102/72 contains seven oligosaccharide units attached to asparagine residues 8, 22, 38, 81, 165 and 285 in the heavy chain (HA1) and to residue 154 in the light chain (HA2). The single oligosaccharide unit in HA2 and four of the oligosaccharide units of HA1 (at residues 8, 22, 38 and 81) contain the four monosaccharides N-acetylglucosamine, mannose, galactose and fucose and are of the N-acetyllactosamine (or 'complex') type. The two other oligosaccharide units on HA1 are of the oligomannoside (or 'simple') type and contain only two residues of N-acetylglucosamine and five or six residues of mannose. The data are discussed in relation to the differences in the carbohydrate compositions of other influenza haemagglutinins.