Human MR1 expression on the cell surface is acid sensitive, proteasome independent and increases after culturing at 26°C

Protein O-linked mannose β1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 1 (POMGnT1) catalyzes the transfer of GlcNAc to O-mannose of glycoproteins. Mutations in the POMGnT1 gene cause muscle–eye–brain disease (MEB). POMGnT1 is a typical type II membrane protein, which is localized in the Golgi apparatus. However, details of the catalytic and reaction mechanism of POMGnT1 are not understood. To develop a better understanding of POMGnT1, we examined the substrate specificity of POMGnT1 using a series of synthetic O-mannosyl peptides based on the human α-dystroglycan (α-DG) sequence as substrates. O-Mannosyl peptides consisting of three to 20 amino acids are recognized as substrates. Enzyme kinetics improved with increasing peptide length up to a length of 8 amino acids but the kinetics of peptides longer than 8 amino acids were similar to those of octapeptides. Our results also show that the amino acid sequence affects POMGnT1 activity. These data suggest that both length and amino acid sequence of mannosyl peptides are determinants of POMGnT1 substrate specificity.     

A genetic model for muscle-eye-brain disease in mice lacking protein O-mannose 1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (POMGnT1)

Protein O-mannose beta1,2-N-acetyglucosaminyltransferase 1 (POMGnT1) is an enzyme involved in the synthesis of O-mannosyl glycans. Mutations of POMGnT1 in humans result in the muscle-eye-brain (MEB) disease. In this study, we have characterized a null mutation generated by gene trapping with a retroviral vector inserted into the second exon of the mouse POMGnT1 locus. Expression of POMGnT1 mRNA was abolished in mutant mice. Glycosylation of alpha-dystroglycan was also reduced. POMGnT1 mutant mice were viable with multiple developmental defects in muscle, eye, and brain, similar to the phenotypes observed in human MEB disease. The present study provides the first genetic animal model to further dissect the roles of POMGnT1 in MEB disease.     

The signal anchor and stem regions of the beta-galactoside alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase may each act to localize the enzyme to the Golgi apparatus.

The beta-galactoside alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase has been localized to the trans cisternae of the Golgi apparatus and the trans Golgi network where it transfers sialic acid residues to terminal positions on N-linked oligosaccharides. It is a type II transmembrane protein possessing a 9-amino acid amino-terminal cytoplasmic tail, a 17-amino acid signal anchor domain, and a 35-amino acid stem region which tethers the large luminal catalytic domain to the membrane anchor. Previous work has demonstrated that the soluble sialytransferase catalytic domain is rapidly secreted from Chinese hamster ovary cells. These results suggest that the signals for Golgi apparatus localization do not reside in the catalytic domain of the enzyme but must reside in the cytoplasmic tail, signal anchor domain, and/or stem region. To determine which amino-terminal regions are required for Golgi apparatus localization, mutant sialyltransferase proteins were constructed by in vitro oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, expressed in Cos-1 cells, and localized by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. Signal cleavage-sialyltransferase mutants which consist of only the stem and catalytic domain of the enzyme are not rapidly secreted but are retained intracellularly and predominantly localized to the Golgi apparatus. However, deletion of either the stem region or the cytoplasmic tail of the membrane-bound sialyltransferase does not alter its Golgi apparatus localization. In addition, sequential replacement of the amino acids of the sialyltransferase signal anchor domain with amino acids from the signal anchor domain of a plasma membrane protein, the influenza virus neuraminidase does not alter the Golgi apparatus localization of the sialyltransferase. These observations suggest that sequences in the signal anchor region and stem region allow the Golgi apparatus localization of the membrane-bound and soluble forms of the sialytransferase, respectively, and that both regions may contain Golgi apparatus localization signals.     

Loss-of-function of an N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase,POMGnT1, in muscle-eye-brain disease

Muscle-eye-brain disease (MEB), an autosomal recessive disorder, is characterized by congenital muscular dystrophy, brain malformation, and ocular abnormalities. Previously, we found that MEB is caused by mutations in the gene encoding the protein O-linked mannose beta1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 1 (POMGnT1), which is responsible for the formation of the GlcNAcbeta1-2Man linkage of O-mannosyl glycan. Although 13 mutations have been identified in patients with MEB, only the protein with the most frequently observed splicing site mutation has been studied. This protein was found to have no activity. Here, we expressed the remaining mutant POMGnT1s and found that none of them had any activity. These results clearly demonstrate that MEB is inherited as a loss-of-function of POMGnT1.     

Reduced proliferative activity of primary POMGnT1-null myoblasts in vitro

Protein O-linked mannose β1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 1 (POMGnT1) is an enzyme that transfers N-acetylglucosamine to O-mannose of glycoproteins. Mutations of the POMGnT1 gene cause muscle–eye–brain (MEB) disease. To obtain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of MEB disease, we mutated the POMGnT1 gene in mice using a targeting technique. The mutant muscle showed aberrant glycosylation of α-DG, and α-DG from mutant muscle failed to bind laminin in a binding assay. POMGnT1^?/? muscle showed minimal pathological changes with very low-serum creatine kinase levels, and had normally formed muscle basal lamina, but showed reduced muscle mass, reduced numbers of muscle fibers, and impaired muscle regeneration. Importantly, POMGnT1^?/? satellite cells proliferated slowly, but efficiently differentiated into multinuclear myotubes in vitro. Transfer of a retrovirus vector-mediated POMGnT1 gene into POMGnT1^?/? myoblasts completely restored the glycosylation of α-DG, but proliferation of the cells was not improved. Our results suggest that proper glycosylation of α-DG is important for maintenance of the proliferative activity of satellite cells in vivo.     

Novel POMGnT1 mutations cause muscle-eye-brain disease in Chinese patients

Muscle-eye-brain (MEB) disease is a congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) phenotype characterized by hypotonia at birth, brain structural abnormalities and ocular malformations. To date, few MEB cases have been reported in China where clinical recognition and genetic confirmatory testing on a research basis are recent developments. Here, we report the clinical and molecular genetics of three MEB disease patients. The patients had different degrees of muscle, eye and brain symptoms, ranging from congenital hypotonia, early-onset severe myopia and mental retardation to mild weakness, independent walking and language problems. This confirmed the expanding phenotypic spectrum of MEB disease with varying degrees of hypotonia, myopia and cognitive impairment. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed cerebellar cysts, hypoplasia and characteristic brainstem flattening and kinking. Four candidate genes (POMGnT1, FKRP, FKTN and POMT2) were screened, and six POMGnT1 mutations (four novel) were identified, including five missense and one splice site mutation. Pathogenicity of the two novel variants in one patient was confirmed by POMGnT1 enzyme activity assay, protein expression and subcellular localization of mutant POMGnT1 in HeLa cells. Transfected cells harboring this patient’s L440R mutant POMGnT1 showed POMGnT1 mislocalization to both the Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum. We have provided clinical, histological, enzymatic and genetic evidence of POMGnT1 involvement in three unrelated MEB disease patients in China. The identification of novel POMGnT1 mutations and an expanded phenotypic spectrum contributes to an improved understanding of POMGnT1 structure–function relationships, CMD pathophysiology and genotype–phenotype correlations, while underscoring the need to consider POMGnT1 in Chinese MEB disease patients.     

Molecular interaction between fukutin and POMGnT1 in the glycosylation pathway of alpha-dystroglycan

The recent identification of mutations in genes encoding demonstrated or putative glycosyltransferases has revealed a novel mechanism for congenital muscular dystrophy. Hypoglycosylated alpha-dystroglycan (alpha-DG) is commonly seen in Fukuyama-type congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD), muscle-eye-brain disease (MEB), Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS), and Large(myd) mice. POMGnT1 and POMTs, the gene products responsible for MEB and WWS, respectively, synthesize unique O-mannose sugar chains on alpha-DG. The function of fukutin, the gene product responsible for FCMD, remains undetermined. Here we show that fukutin co-localizes with POMGnT1 in the Golgi apparatus. Direct interaction between fukutin and POMGnT1 was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and two-hybrid analyses. The transmembrane region of fukutin mediates its localization to the Golgi and participates in the interaction with POMGnT1. Y371C, a missense mutation found in FCMD, retains fukutin in the ER and also redirects POMGnT1 to the ER. Finally, we demonstrate reduced POMGnT1 enzymatic activity in transgenic knock-in mice carrying the retrotransposal insertion in the fukutin gene, the prevalent mutation in FCMD. From these findings, we propose that fukutin forms a complex with POMGnT1 and may modulate its enzymatic activity.     

Deficiency of alpha-dystroglycan in muscle-eye-brain disease

Alpha-dystroglycan is a component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein-complex, which is the major mechanism of attachment between the cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix. Muscle-eye-brain disease (MEB) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by congenital muscular dystrophy, ocular abnormalities and lissencephaly. We recently found that MEB is caused by mutations in the protein O-linked mannose beta1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (POMGnT1) gene. POMGnT1 is a glycosylation enzyme that participates in the synthesis of O-mannosyl glycan, a modification that is rare in mammals but is known to be a laminin-binding ligand of alpha-dystroglycan. Here we report a selective deficiency of alpha-dystroglycan in MEB patients. This finding suggests that alpha-dystroglycan is a potential target of POMGnT1 and that altered glycosylation of alpha-dystroglycan may play a critical role in the pathomechanism of MEB and some forms of muscular dystrophy.     

Relationships between heme incorporation, tetramer formation, and catalysis of a heme-regulated phosphodiesterase from Escherichia coli: a study of deletion and site-directed mutants

The heme-regulated phosphodiesterase (PDE) from Escherichia coli (Ec DOS) is a tetrameric protein composed of an N-terminal sensor domain (amino acids 1-201) containing two PAS domains (PAS-A, amino acids 21-84, and PAS-B, amino acids 144-201) and a C-terminal catalytic domain (amino acids 336-799). Heme is bound to the PAS-A domain, and the redox state of the heme iron regulates PDE activity. In our experiments, a H77A mutation and deletion of the PAS-B domain resulted in the loss of heme binding affinity to PAS-A. However, both mutant proteins were still tetrameric and more active than the full-length wild-type enzyme (140% activity compared with full-length wild type), suggesting that heme binding is not essential for catalysis. An N-terminal truncated mutant (DeltaN147, amino acids 148-807) containing no PAS-A domain or heme displayed 160% activity compared with full-length wild-type protein, confirming that the heme-bound PAS-A domain is not required for catalytic activity. An analysis of C-terminal truncated mutants led to mapping of the regions responsible for tetramer formation and revealed PDE activity in tetrameric proteins only. Mutations at a putative metal-ion binding site (His-590, His-594) totally abolished PDE activity, suggesting that binding of Mg2+ to the site is essential for catalysis. Interestingly, the addition of the isolated PAS-A domain in the Fe2+ form to the full-length wild-type protein markedly enhanced PDE activity (>5-fold). This activation is probably because of structural changes in the catalytic site as a result of interactions between the isolated PAS-A domain and that of the holoenzyme.     

Conversion of a guanylyl cyclase to an adenylyl cyclase

Guanylyl cyclases catalyze the formation of cGMP from GTP, but display extensive identity at the catalytic domain primary amino acid level with the adenylyl cyclases. The recent solving of the crystal structures of soluble forms of adenylyl cyclase has resulted in predictions of those amino acids important for substrate specificity. Modeling of a membrane-bound homodimeric guanylyl cyclase predicted the comparable amino acids that would interact with the guanine ring. Based on these structural data, the replacement of three key residues in the heterodimeric form of soluble guanylyl cyclase has led to a complete conversion in substrate specificity. Furthermore, the mutant enzyme remained fully sensitive to sodium nitroprusside, a nitric oxide donor.     

Conserved amino acids at the C-terminus of rat phospholipase D1 are essential for enzymatic activity.

Rat brain phospholipase D1 (rPLD1) has two highly conserved motifs [H(X)K(X)4D, denoted HKD] located at the N-terminal and C-terminal halves, which are required for activity. Association of the two halves is essential for rPLD1 activity, which probably brings the two HKD domains together to form a catalytic center. In the present study, we find that an intact C-terminus is also essential for the catalytic activity of rPLD1. Serial deletion of the last four amino acids, EVWT, which are conserved in all mammalian PLD isoforms, abolished the catalytic activity of rPLD1. This loss of catalytic activity was not due to a lack of association of the N-terminal and C-terminal halves. Mutations of the last three amino acids showed that substitutions with charged or less hydrophobic amino acids all reduced PLD activity. For example, mutations of Thr1036 and Val1034 to Asp or Lys caused marked inactivation, whereas mutation to other amino acids had less effect. Mutation of Trp1035 to Leu, Ala, His or Tyr caused complete inactivation, whereas mutation of Glu1033 to Ala enhanced activity. The size of the amino acids at the C-terminus also affected the catalytic activity of PLD, reduced activity being observed with conservative mutations within the EVWT sequence (such as T/S, V/L or W/F). The enzyme was also inactivated by the addition of Ala or Val to the C-terminus of this sequence. Interestingly, the inactive C-terminal mutants could be complemented by cotransfection with a wild-type C-terminal half to restore PLD activity in vivo. These data demonstrate that the integrity of the C-terminus of rPLD1 is essential for its catalytic activity. Important features are the hydrophobicity, charge and size of the four conserved C-terminal amino acids. It is proposed that these play important roles in maintaining a functional catalytic structure by interacting with a specific domain within rPLD1.     

Muscular dystrophy and neuronal migration disorder caused by mutations in a glycosyltransferase, POMGnT1.

Muscle-eye-brain disease (MEB) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by congenital muscular dystrophy, ocular abnormalities, and lissencephaly. Mammalian O-mannosyl glycosylation is a rare type of protein modification that is observed in a limited number of glycoproteins of brain, nerve, and skeletal muscle. Here we isolated a human cDNA for protein O-mannose beta-1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (POMGnT1), which participates in O-mannosyl glycan synthesis. We also identified six independent mutations of the POMGnT1 gene in six patients with MEB. Expression of most frequent mutation revealed a great loss of the enzymatic activity. These findings suggest that interference in O-mannosyl glycosylation is a new pathomechanism for muscular dystrophy as well as neuronal migration disorder.     

Differences in C-terminal amino acid sequences between erythrocyte and liver cytochrome b5 isolated from pig and human. Evidence for two tissue-specific forms of cytochrome b5

Two forms of cytochrome b5, a soluble erythrocyte form and a membrane-bound liver form, were purified from pig and human, and structural differences between them were analyzed. Porcine and human erythrocyte cytochrome b5 consisted of 97 amino acid residues and contained the same catalytic domain structure (residues 1-96) as that of the corresponding liver cytochrome b5, but had one amino acid replacement at the C-terminus (residue 97). These results suggest that erythrocyte cytochrome b5 is not derived from the liver protein by proteolysis but a translational product from another distinct mRNA of cytochrome b5.     

Production of soluble human alpha3-fucosyltransferase (FucT VII) by membrane targeting and in vivo proteolysis

The rational design of fucosyltransferase (FucT VII) inhibitors as potential medication in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis requires the three-dimensional structure of this member of the glycosyltransferase family. Structure determination by X-ray diffraction analysis needs purified, soluble enzyme protein. For this purpose we developed a novel method for the high-yield production of soluble FucT VII by in vivo proteolysis. To obtain a soluble form of FucT VII a mammalian expression construct was made encoding an N-terminal portion of FucT VI (amino acids 1-63) fused with the stem region and catalytic domain of FucT VII (amino acids 39-342). Chinese hamster ovary cells stably transfected with this construct produced FucT activity in the supernatant, which has the same catalytic properties as wild-type FucT VII. This soluble form of FucT VII can be obtained in high amounts (1 mg/L) and can be efficiently purified by GDP-hexanolamine affinity chromatography. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that the intrinsic properties of FucT VII could be transferred to secreted FucT VII constructs, which may open possibilities for production of soluble forms of other members of the glycosyltransferase family as well.     

Identification of domains in apobec-1 complementation factor required for RNA binding and apolipoprotein-B mRNA editing

The C-to-U editing of apolipoprotein-B (apo-B) mRNA is catalyzed by an enzyme complex that recognizes an 11-nt mooring sequence downstream of the editing site. A minimal holoenzyme that edits apo-B mRNA in vitro has been defined. This complex contains apobec-1, the catalytic subunit, and apobec-1 complementation factor (ACF), the RNA-binding subunit that binds to the mooring sequence. Here, we show that ACF binds with high affinity to single-stranded but not double-stranded apo-B mRNA. ACF contains three nonidentical RNA recognition motifs (RRM) and a unique C-terminal auxiliary domain. In many multi-RRM proteins, the RRMs mediate RNA binding and an auxiliary domain functions in protein-protein interactions. Here we show that ACF does not fit this simple model. Based on deletion mutagenesis, the RRMs in ACF are necessary but not sufficient for binding to apo-B mRNA. Amino acids in the pre-RRM region are required for complementing activity and RNA binding, but not for interaction with apobec-1. The C-terminal 196 amino acids are not absolutely essential for function. However, further deletion of an RG-rich region from the auxiliary domain abolished complementing activity, RNA binding, and apobec-1 interaction. The auxiliary domain alone did not bind apobec-1. Although all three RRMs are required for complementing activity and apobec-1 interaction, the individual motifs contribute differently to RNA binding. Point mutations in RRM1 or RRM2 decreased the Kd for apo-B mRNA by two orders of magnitude whereas mutations in RRM3 reduced binding affinity 13-fold. The pairwise expression of RRM1 with RRM2 or RRM3 resulted in moderate affinity binding.     

Exploring the acceptor substrate recognition of the human beta-galactoside alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase

Human beta1,4-galactoside alpha2,6-sialyltransferase I (ST6GalI) recognition of glycoprotein acceptors has been investigated using various soluble forms of the enzyme deleted to a variable extent in the N-terminal half of the polypeptide. Full-length and truncated forms of the enzyme have been investigated with respect to their specificity for a variety of desialylated glycoproteins of known complex glycans as well as related proteins with different carbohydrate chains. Differences in transfer efficiency have been observed between membrane and soluble enzymatic forms, indicating that deletion of the transmembrane fragment induces loss of acceptor preference. No difference in substrate recognition could be observed when soluble enzymes of similar peptide sequence were produced in yeast or mammalian cells, confirming that removal of the membrane anchor and heterologous expression do not alter enzyme folding and activity. When tested on free oligosaccharides, soluble ST6GalI displayed full ability to sialylate free N-glycans as well as various N-acetyllactosaminyl substrates. Progressive truncation of the N terminus demonstrated that the catalytic domain can proceed with sialic acid transfer with increased efficiency until 80 amino acids are deleted. Fusion of the ST6GalI catalytic domain to the N-terminal half of an unrelated transferase (core 2 beta1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase) further showed that a chimeric form of broad acceptor specificity and high activity could also be engineered in vivo. These findings therefore delineate a peptide region of approximately 50 amino acids within the ST6GalI stem region that governs both the preference for glycoprotein acceptors and catalytic activity, thereby suggesting that it may exert a steric control on the catalytic domain.     

Minimal catalytic domain of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V

UDP-GlcNAc: Manalpha1-6Manbeta-R beta1-6 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (EC 2.4.1.155, GlcNAc-TV) is a Golgi enzyme that substitutes the trimannosyl core in the biosynthetic pathway for complex-type N-linked glycans. GlcNAc-TV activity is regulated by oncogenes frequently activated in cancer cells ( ras, src, and her2/neu ) and by activators of T lymphocytes. Overexpression of GlcNAc-TV in epithelial cells results in morphological transformation, while tumor cell mutants selected for loss of GlcNAc-TV products show diminished malignant potential in mice. In this report, we have expressed and characterized a series of N- and C-terminal deletions of GlcNAc-TV. Portions of GlcNAc-TV sequence were fused at the N-terminal domain to IgG-binding domains of staphylococcal Protein A and expressed in CHOP cells. The secreted fusion proteins were purified by IgG Sepharose affinity chromatography and assayed for enzyme activities. The peptide sequence S(213-740)of GlcNAc-TV was determined to be essential for the catalytic activity, the remaining amino acids comprising a 183 amino acid stem region, a 17 amino acid transmembrane domain and a 12 amino acid cytosolic moiety. Further deletion of 5 amino acids to produce peptide R(218-740)reduced enzyme activity by 20-fold. Similar K(m)and V(max)values for donor and acceptor were observed for peptide S(213-740), the minimal catalytic domain, and peptide Q(39-740), which also included the stem region. Truncation of five amino acids from the C-terminus also resulted in a 20-fold loss of catalytic activity. Secondary structure predictions suggest a high frequency of turns in the stem region, and more contiguous stretches of alpha-helix found in the catalytic domain.     

The periplasmic domain of the histidine autokinase CitA functions as a highly specific citrate receptor.

The two-component regulatory system CitA/CitB is essential for induction of the citrate fermentation genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae. CitA represents a membrane-bound sensor kinase consisting of a periplasmic domain flanked by two transmembrane helices, a linker domain and the conserved kinase or transmitter domain. A fusion protein (MalE-CitAC) composed of the maltose-binding protein and the CitA kinase domain (amino acids 327-547) showed constitutive autokinase activity and transferred the gamma-phosphate group of ATP to its cognate response regulator CitB. The autokinase activity of CitA was abolished by an H350L exchange, and phosphorylation of CitB was inhibited by a D56N exchange, indicating that H-350 and D-56 represent the phosphorylation sites of CitA and CitB respectively. In the presence of ATP, CitB-D56N formed a stable complex with MalE-CitAC. To analyse the sensory properties of CitA, the periplasmic domain (amino acids 45-176) was overproduced as a soluble, cytoplasmic protein with a C-terminally attached histidine tag (CitAPHis). Purified CitAPHis bound citrate, but none of the other tri- and dicarboxylates tested, with high affinity (KD approximately 5 microM at pH 7) in a 1:1 stoichiometry. As shown by isothermal titration calorimetry, the binding reaction was driven by the enthalpy change (DeltaH = -76.3 kJ mol-1), whereas the entropy change was opposed (-TDeltaS = + 46.3 kJ mol-1). The pH dependency of the binding reaction indicated that the dianionic form H-citrate2- is the citrate species recognized by CitAPHis. In the presence of Mg2+ ions, the dissociation constant increased significantly, suggesting that the Mg-citrate complex is not bound by CitAPHis. This work defines the periplasmic domain of CitA as a highly specific citrate receptor and elucidates the binding characteristics of CitAPHis.     

TGF-β1 increases invasiveness of SW1990 cells through Rac1/ROS/NF-κB/IL-6/MMP-2

Post-translational acetylation is an important molecular regulatory mechanism affecting the biological activity of proteins. Polypeptide GalNAc transferases (ppGalNAc-Ts) are a family of enzymes that catalyze initiation of mucin-type O-glycosylation. All ppGalNAc-Ts in mammals are type II transmembrane proteins having a Golgi lumenal region that contains a catalytic domain with glycosyltransferase activity, and a C-terminal R-type (“ricin-like”) lectin domain. We investigated the effect of acetylation on catalytic activity of glycosyltransferase, and on fine carbohydrate-binding specificity of the R-type lectin domain of ppGalNAc-T2. Acetylation effect on ppGalNAc-T2 biological activity in vitro was studied using a purified human recombinant ppGalNAc-T2. Mass spectrometric analysis of acetylated ppGalNAc-T2 revealed seven acetylated amino acids (K103, S109, K111, K363, S373, K521, and S529); the first five are located in the catalytic domain. Specific glycosyltransferase activity of ppGalNAc-T2 was reduced 95% by acetylation. The last two amino acids, K521 and S529, are located in the lectin domain, and their acetylation results in alteration of the carbohydrate-binding ability of ppGalNAc-T2. Direct binding assays showed that acetylation of ppGalNAc-T2 enhances the recognition to αGalNAc residue of MUC1αGalNAc, while competitive assays showed that acetylation modifies the fine GalNAc-binding form of the lectin domain. Taken together, these findings clearly indicate that biological activity (catalytic capacity and glycan-binding ability) of ppGalNAc-T2 is regulated by acetylation.     

Expression of the GTPase activating domain of the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) gene in Escherichia coli and role of the conserved lysine residue.

A small catalytic domain from the neurofibromatosis type 1 gene, NF1-333, consisting of 333 amino acids between residues 1197 and 1528, including an additional N-terminal methionine, was expressed in Escherichia coli as a soluble protein. Its catalytic activity under non-saturating conditions is similar to the full-length p120-GAP but different from truncated GAP-334. Under saturating conditions its kcat and KM are lower. Lys-1422, which is totally conserved in all GAP proteins, was mutated and the properties of the mutant protein investigated. Lys-1422 seems to be essential for the stability of the proteins and not for its catalytic activity.