Characterization of the O-linked oligosaccharide structures on P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1)

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1, PSGL-1, a specific ligand for P-, E-, and L-selectin, was isolated from in vivo [3H]-glucosamine labeled HL-60 cells by a combination of wheat germ agglutinin and platelet P-selectin- or E-selectin receptor globulin-agarose chromatography. The O-linked oligosaccharides on the ligand were released by mild alkaline sodium borohydride treatment and analyzed by a combination of ion-exchange, size exclusion, lectin, and paper chromatography, together with specific exoglycosidase treatments and chemical modifications. Approximately 91% of the radioactivity released from PSGL-1 was recovered in five O-linked glycans: GalNAc (approximately 4% of the total structures), Galp, 3GalNAc (36%), and Galbeta, 3GalNAc substituted with one (45%), two (6%), or three (3%) N-acetyllactosamine repeat units. None of these structures contained fucose, and the majority were substituted with at least one sialic acid. The N-acetyllactosmine-containing structures appeared to be core 2. The remaining 9% of the radioactivity recovered in O-linked oligosaccharides from PSGL-1, eluted in two peaks at 11.8 and 10.2 glucose units, on size-exclusion chromatography. Results from lectin chromatography and chemical and enzymatic degradation experiments suggest that the major portion of the radioactivity in these peaks is associated with sialylated N-acetyllactosamine-type oligosaccharides, substituted with fucose at the penultimate residue in the nonreducing end. Since both sialic acid and fucose reportedly are crucial requirements for selectin binding, these results suggest that only a minor portion, approximately 4.5%, of the O-linked oligosaccharides on PSGL-1 are involved in the interaction with the selectins.