Glycosylation
is a common modification that can endow proteins
with altered physical and biological properties. Ribonuclease 1 (RNase
1), which is the human homologue of the archetypal enzyme RNase A,
undergoes N-linked glycosylation at asparagine residues 34, 76, and
88. We have produced the three individual glycoforms that display
the core heptasaccharide, Man5GlcNAc2, and analyzed
the structure of each glycoform by using small-angle X-ray scattering
along with molecular dynamics simulations. The glycan on Asn34 is
relatively compact and rigid, donates hydrogen bonds that “cap”
the carbonyl groups at the C-terminus of an α-helix, and enhances
protein thermostability. In contrast, the glycan on Asn88 is flexible
and can even enter the enzymic active site, hindering catalysis. The
N-glycosylation of Asn76 has less pronounced consequences. These data
highlight the diverse behaviors of Man5GlcNAc2 pendants and provide a structural underpinning to the functional
consequences of protein glycosylation.