Interactions of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) with proteins of the extracellular matrix govern and regulate complex physiological functions including cellular growth, immune response, and inflammation. Repetitive presentation of GAG binding motifs as found in native proteoglycans might enhance GAG–protein binding through multivalent interactions. Here, we report the chemical synthesis of dendritic GAG oligomers constructed of nona-sulfated hyaluronan tetrasaccharides for investigating the binding of the protein chemokine interleukin 8 (IL-8) to artificial, well-defined proteoglycan architectures. Binding of mutant monomeric and native dimerizable IL-8 was investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry. Dendritic oligomerization of GAG increased the binding affinity of both monomeric and dimeric IL-8. Monomeric IL‑8 bound to monomeric and dimeric GAG with KD values of 7.3 µM and 0.108 µM, respectively. The effect was less pronounced for dimerizable wildtype IL-8, for which GAG dimerization improved the affinity from 34 nM to 5 nM. Binding of dimeric IL-8 to oligomeric GAG was limited by steric crowding effects, strongly reducing the affinity of subsequent binding events. In conclusion, the strongest effect of GAG oligomerization was the amplified binding of IL-8 monomers, which might concentrate monomeric protein in the extracellular matrix and thus promote protein dimerization under physiological conditions.
