ANALYSIS OF SIALIC ACID-CONTAINING MUCIN OLIGOSACCHARIDES FROM PORCINE SMALL-INTESTINE BY HIGH-TEMPERATURE GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY OF THEIR DIMETHYLAMIDES

Acetylation of sialic acid-containing oligosaccharides lactonises the sialic acid residue quantitatively for all oligosaccharides studied except for 6'-sialyl-lactose. The modified, unsulphated, sialylated and sulphated oligosaccharides can then be fractionated by anion-exchange chromatography. Ammonolysis of the lactones followed by methylation yielded the dimethylamides, which are amenable to g.l.c.-m.s. and give intense and informative mass spectra. This approach has been used to characterise the sialic acid-containing O-linked oligosaccharides obtained from the mucin glycopeptides of the small intestine of the pig. At least 28 structures were found, having NeuAc or NeuGc 6-linked to the HexNAc attached to the peptide core or to a Hex 3-linked to HexNAc. Four different disialylated oligosaccharides were found having NeuAc or NeuGc on the Hex residue 3-linked to HexNAc and 6-linked to HexNAc.