Unravelling the structural complexity of glycolipids with cryogenic infrared spectroscopy

Carla Kirschbaum, Kim Greis, Eike Mucha, Lisa Kain, Shenglou Deng, Andreas Zappe, Sandy Gewinner, Wieland Schöllkopf, Gert Helden, Gerard Meijer, Paul B. Savage, Mateusz Marianski, Luc Teyton and Kevin Pagel ()
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Carla Kirschbaum: Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin
Kim Greis: Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin
Eike Mucha: Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Lisa Kain: Scripps Research
Shenglou Deng: Brigham Young University
Andreas Zappe: Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin
Sandy Gewinner: Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Wieland Schöllkopf: Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Gert Helden: Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Gerard Meijer: Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Paul B. Savage: Brigham Young University
Mateusz Marianski: The City University of New York
Luc Teyton: Scripps Research
Kevin Pagel: Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Glycolipids are complex glycoconjugates composed of a glycan headgroup and a lipid moiety. Their modular biosynthesis creates a vast amount of diverse and often isomeric structures, which fulfill highly specific biological functions. To date, no gold-standard analytical technique can provide a comprehensive structural elucidation of complex glycolipids, and insufficient tools for isomer distinction can lead to wrong assignments. Herein we use cryogenic gas-phase infrared spectroscopy to systematically investigate different kinds of isomerism in immunologically relevant glycolipids. We show that all structural features, including isomeric glycan headgroups, anomeric configurations and different lipid moieties, can be unambiguously resolved by diagnostic spectroscopic fingerprints in a narrow spectral range. The results allow for the characterization of isomeric glycolipid mixtures and biological applications.

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-21480-1

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21480-1

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