Serum N-glycomics of a novel CDG-IIb patient reveals aberrant IgG glycosylation

Rare genetic mutations of the mannosyl-oligosaccharide glucosidase (MOGS) gene affecting the function of the mannosyl-oligosaccharide glucosidase (glucosidase I) are the cause of the congenital disorder of glycosylation IIb (CDG-IIb). Glucosidase I specifically removes the distal alpha 1,2-linked glucose from the protein bound precursor N-glycan Glc(3)Man(9)GlcNAc(2), which is the initial step of N-glycan maturation. Here, we comparatively analyzed N-glycosylation of the whole serum proteome, serum-derived immunoglobulin G (IgG), transferrin (TF), and alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) of a female patient who is compound heterozygous for 2 novel missense mutations in the MOGS gene, her heterozygous parents, and a sibling with wildtype genotype by multiplexed capillary gel electrophoresis coupled to laser induced fluorescence detection (xCGE-LIF) at unprecedented depth. Thereby, we detected the CDG-IIb-characteristic non-de-glucosylated N-glycans Glc(3)Man(7-9)GlcNAc(2) as well as the free tetrasaccharide Glc(3)-Man in whole serum of the patient but not in the other family members. The N-glycan analysis of the serum proteome further revealed that relative intensities of IgG-specific complex type di-antennary N-glycans with core-fucosylation were considerably reduced in the patient's serum whereas TF- and AAT-characteristic sialylated di- and tri-antennary N-glycans were increased. This finding reflected the hypogammaglobulinemia diagnosed in the patient. We further detected aberrant oligo-mannose (Glc(3)Man(7)GlcNAc(2)) and hybrid type N-glycans on patient-derived IgGs and we attributed this defective glycosylation to be the reason for an increased IgG clearance. This mechanism can explain the hypogammaglobulinemia that is associated with CDG-IIb.

Automated summary

This study analyzed N-glycosylation in a patient with CDG-IIb and her family members, revealing aberrant N-glycans associated with CDG-IIb and changes in immune-related proteins. This has important implications for understanding the pathogenesis of CDG-IIb and the diagnosis and treatment of related diseases.