Cited by 46Glycosylation and Glycoproteins ResearchMonoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies ResearchViral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects

Impact of Fc N-glycan sialylation on IgG structure

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Zhang, Zhongqi, Shah, Bhavana, Richardson, Jason·2019·mAbs

Abstract

Human IgG antibodies containing terminal alpha 2,6-linked sialic acid on their Fc N-glycans have been shown to reduce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and possess anti-inflammatory properties. Although terminal sialylation on complex N-glycans can happen via either an alpha 2,3-linkage or an alpha 2,6-linkage, sialic acids on human serum IgG Fc are almost exclusively alpha 2,6-linked. Recombinant IgGs expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, however, have sialic acids through alpha 2,3-linkages because of the lack of the alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase gene. The impact of different sialylation linkages to the structure of IgG has not been determined. In this work, we investigated the impact of different types of sialylation to the conformational stability of IgG through hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) and limited proteolysis experiments. When human-derived and CHO-expressed IgG1 were analyzed by HDX, sialic acid-containing glycans were found to destabilize the CH2 domain in CHO-expressed IgG, but not human-derived IgG. When structural isomers of sialylated glycans were chromatographically resolved and identified in the limited proteolysis experiment, we found that only alpha 2,3-linked sialic acid on the 6-arm (the major sialylated glycans in CHO-expressed IgG1) destabilizes the CH2 domain, presumably because of the steric effect that decreases the glycan-CH2 domain interaction. The alpha 2,6-linked sialic acid on the 3-arm (the major sialylated glycan in human-derived IgG), and the alpha 2,3-linked sialic acid on the 3-arm, do not have this destabilizing effect.

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Crossref · 10.1080/19420862.2019.1655377

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  • α2,3-linked NeuAc (main sialylated species in CHO-derived glycoproteins) can reduce conformational stability of the CH2 domain of IgG, likely due to a steric effect between the protein backbone and the α2,3-sialylated 6-arm.

    “when NeuAc is α2,3-linked (main sialylated species in CHO-derived glycoproteins) the conformational stability of the CH2 domain of IgG can be reduced, most likely a result of a steric effect between the protein backbone and the α2,3-sialylated 6-arm [27,28].”

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Authors
Zhang, Z., Shah, B., & Richardson, J.
Affiliations
Amgen (United States) (US)
Corresponding author
Zhang, Zhongqi
Venue
mAbs
Published
2019-09-02
Volume
11
Issue
8
Pages
1381-1390
ISSN
  • 1942-0862 (ISSN-L)
  • 1942-0870
OpenAlex
W2966936358
Cited by
46
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 7
FWCI
1.98
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • mAbs (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Amgen
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Glycosylation and Glycoproteins Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects
Keywords
CH2 domain, sialyltransferase, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, hydrogen-deuterium exchange, limited proteolysis
MeSH terms
Protein Domains, Animals, Cricetulus, Glycosylation, Humans, Immunoglobulin G, Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments, Polysaccharides, CHO Cells

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