Chuzel, L. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2025

Application of post glycosylation modifying enzymes for mass spectrometry imaging of modified N-glycans in situ.

Glycans are essential components of cells and are involved in innumerable biological processes. Their structural diversity and complexity present unique analytical challenges. Glycans are comprised of various types of monosaccharides that are linked together at different positions and with varied stereochemistry. In addition, glycans are frequently decorated with a diverse set of chemical modifications, termed post-glycosylation modifications (PGMs). Characterization of PGMs is essential for a thorough understanding of glycans, however, the technical challenges and low throughput of current methodologies have limited our understanding of these modifications. Here we demonstrate a novel approach for rapid visualization of specific PGMs present in tissue N-glycans by applying PGM-targeting enzymes to mass spectrometry imaging (MSI). The method enables in situ investigation of glycans with PGMs en masse, identifying the sugar residue and position modified, as well as visualizing the spatial distribution of each modified N-glycan in tissues. As the repertoire of PGM-targeting enzymes expands, we anticipate this approach will enable a better understanding of PGM distribution within a dynamic N-glycome. This may yield both new biological insights and the potential for identification of novel disease biomarkers.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2024

High-throughput nanopore DNA sequencing of large insert fosmid clones directly from bacterial colonies

Fosmids and cosmids are vectors frequently used in functional metagenomic studies. With a large insert capacity (around 30 kb) they can encode dozens of cloned genes or in some cases, entire biochemical pathways. Fosmids with cloned inserts can be transferred to heterologous hosts and propagated to enable screening for new enzymes and metabolites. After screening, fosmids from clones with an activity of interest must be de novo sequenced, a critical step towards identification of the gene(s) of interest. In this work, we present a new approach for rapid and high-throughput fosmid sequencing directly from Escherichia coli colonies without liquid culturing or fosmid purification. Our sample preparation involves fosmid amplification with phi29 polymerase and then direct nanopore sequencing using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies system. We also present a bioinformatics pipeline termed "phiXXer" that facilitates both de novo read assembly and vector trimming to generate a linear sequence of the fosmid insert. Finally, we demonstrate accurate sequencing of 96 fosmids in a single run and validate the method using two fosmid libraries that contain cloned large insert ([~]30-40 kb) genomic or metagenomic DNA. ImportanceLarge-insert clone (fosmids or cosmids) sequencing is challenging and arguably the most limiting step of functional metagenomic screening workflows. Our study establishes a new method for high-throughput nanopore sequencing of fosmid clones directly from lysed E. coli cells. It also describes a companion bioinformatic pipeline that enables de novo assembly of fosmid DNA insert sequences. The devised method widens the potential of functional metagenomic screening by providing a simple, high-throughput approach to fosmid clone sequencing that dramatically speeds the pace of discovery.

molecular biology↗