High Expression Level of α2-3-Linked Sialic Acids on Salivary Glycoproteins of Breastfeeding Women May Help to Protect Them from Avian Influenza Virus Infection
Li Ding,
Yimin Cheng,
Wei Guo,
Siyue Sun,
Xiangqin Chen,
Tiantian Zhang,
Hongwei Cheng,
Jiayue Hao,
Yunhua Lu,
Xiurong Wang,
Zheng Li
Affiliations
Li Ding
Laboratory for Functional Glycomics, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Yimin Cheng
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Xi’an Shiyou University, Xi’an 710065, China
Wei Guo
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Xi’an 710068, China
Siyue Sun
Laboratory for Functional Glycomics, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Xiangqin Chen
Laboratory for Functional Glycomics, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Tiantian Zhang
Laboratory for Functional Glycomics, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Hongwei Cheng
Laboratory for Functional Glycomics, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Jiayue Hao
Laboratory for Functional Glycomics, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Yunhua Lu
Laboratory for Functional Glycomics, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Xiurong Wang
National Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Harbin 150069, China
Zheng Li
Laboratory for Functional Glycomics, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Terminal sialic acids (Sia) on soluble glycoprotein of saliva play an important role in the clearance of influenza virus. The aim of this study is to investigate the alteration of sialylation on the salivary proteins of women during the lactation period and its effect on the saliva binding ability to virus. In total, 210 saliva samples from postpartum women with and without breastfeeding were collected, and the expression level of α2-3/6-linked Sia on the whole salivary proteins and specific glycoproteins of IgA and MUC5B from different groups were tested and verified using lectin microarray, blotting analysis and ELISA based method. The H1N1 vaccine and three strains of Avian influenza virus (AIV) were used for the saliva binding assay. Results showed that the variation in salivary expression level of α2-3-linked Sia was much more obvious than the α2-6-linked Sia, which was up-regulated significantly in the breastfeeding groups compared to the non-breastfeeding groups at the same postpartum stage. Furthermore, the binding abilities of salivary glycoproteins to AIV strains and H1N1 vaccine were increased in breastfeeding groups accordingly. This finding adds new evidence for the maternal benefit of breastfeeding and provides new thinking to protect postpartum women from AIV infection.
