Methylation analysis of the carbohydrate portion of carcinoembryonic antigen

The carbohydrate structural units of carcinoembryonic antigen samples isolated from four different tumors were quantitated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometery after methylation and subsequent conversion to their alditol acetates. Different carcinoembryonic antigen preparations showed some quantitative but no qualitative differences in the structural units present. The results indicate that a large portion of the fucose residues in the glycoprotein were linked to N-acetylglucosamine and that most of the branching mannose residues were probably linked to three N-acetylglucosamine residues.