Oligosaccharide-lipid precursors and glycoprotein N-linked oligosaccharides isolated from the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, were compared with those from the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Bio-Gel P-4 chromatography of oligosaccharide intermediates showed that Glc3Man9GlcNAc2-PP-dol synthesis, transfer of glycan to protein, and glucose removal to yield Man9GlcNAc2 proceeded in S. pombe as in S. cerevisiae. Two series of oligosaccharides were released from S. pombe glycoproteins by endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H; large "mannan-like" structures and smaller precursor or "core-filling" species. Unexpectedly, the smallest S. pombe N-linked glycan was Man9GlcNAc, confirmed by 500 MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy to be the lipid-linked isomer. No endoplasmic reticulum Man9-alpha 1,2-mannosidase activity was detected in S. pombe, thus identifying Man9GlcNAc as the minimum precursor for oligosaccharide elongation in contrast to the Man8GlcNAc2 intermediate identified in S. cerevisiae (Byrd, J. C., Tarentino, A. L., Maley, F., Atkinson, P. H., and Trimble, R. B. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 14657-14666). S. pombe Hex10GlcNAc was at least four isomers by high pH anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. Compositional analyses identified two of the major species as GalMan9GlcNAc and GlcMan9GlcNAc, the latter of which suggests that glycan trimming may be attenuated in the S. pombe endoplasmic reticulum. Hex13GlcNAc from S. pombe was homogeneous by mass spectrometry but yielded 12 species by high pH anion-exchange chromatography. Compositional analyses, alpha-galactosidase digestion, and lectin affinity chromatography on Griffonia simplicifolia lectin I-agarose indicated these to be a family of GalxMan13-xGlcNAc isomers (X = 1-4 residues). The absence of Man9GlcNAc2 to Man8GlcNAc2 trimming in S. pombe and elongation of the lipid precursor of Man9GlcNAc with both Man and Gal to form "galactomannans" provides a novel system for N-linked glycoprotein processing studies.