Scintillation proximity assay for E-, P-, and L-selectin utilizing polyacrylamide-based neoglycoconjugates as ligands

In this study, a novel scintillation proximity assay (SPA) that uses radiolabeled soluble neoglycoconjugates as synthetic alternatives to the natural E-, P-, and L-selectin counterligands was developed. The neoglycoconjugates contained sialyl LewisX or sialyl LewisA attached via a three-carbon spacer to a poly[N-(hydroxyethyl)acrylamide] backbone, thus presenting the carbohydrates in a multivalent form. Selectin-ZZ fusion proteins were immobilized on anti-rabbit IgG-coated SPA beads via a rabbit IgG bridge. The neoglycoconjugate ligands bound to all three bead-immobilized selectins, with the highest binding levels apparent with E-selectin. Saturation binding studies with E-selectin revealed a complex interaction indicative of two or more binding affinities. The response to carbohydrate inhibitors was comparable in E-selectin assays that used either the neoglycoconjugates or the tritium-labeled HL60 cells as selectin counterligands. The incorporation of tyrosine sulfate groups into the backbone of the neoglycoconjugate resulted in enhanced binding avidity to both P- and L-selectin, indicating that the sulfate-containing neoglycoconjugates are viable synthetic mimics of the natural P- and L-selectin counterligands. The use of these radiolabeled neoglycoconjugates in conjunction with SPA results in a format ideally suited for the high-throughput screening for selectin antagonists. Furthermore, this approach can potentially be used to measure other low-avidity lectin-carbohydrate interactions.