GALNT14与肿瘤

在过去的一个多世纪,许多肿瘤标志物被发现,其中包括多肽N-乙酰半乳糖胺基转移酶(polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase,ppGALNAc-T,简称GALNT)家族中的多个成员。GALNT家族是催化黏蛋白O-糖基化修饰的起始酶,其能够影响黏蛋白的O-糖基化,从而影响肿瘤细胞的发生、预后、增殖与迁移等。GALNT14是该家族中最新发现的成员之一,近年的研究发现,GALNT14在多种肿瘤中表达异常,并与肿瘤细胞的发生、侵袭、转移和凋亡等有关。本文主要对GALNT14蛋白的结构特点及其在肿瘤中的作用进行综述,为进一步研究GALNT14与肿瘤发病机制的关系以及作为潜在的药物靶点提供参考。     

Significant decrease in alpha1,3-linked fucose in association with increase in 6-sulfated N-acetylglucosamine in peripheral lymph node addressin of FucT-VII-deficient mice exhibiting diminished lymphocyte homing

Lymphocyte homing is mediated by binding of L-selectin on lymphocytes with L-selectin ligands present on high-endothelial venules (HEV) of peripheral and mesenteric lymph nodes. L-selectin ligands are specific O-linked carbohydrates, 6-sulfo sialyl Lewis X, composed of sialylated, fucosylated, and sulfated glycans. Abrogation of fucosyltransferase-VII (FucT-VII) results in almost complete loss of lymphocyte homing, but structural analysis of carbohydrates has not been carried out on FucT-VII null mice. To determine whether functional losses seen in FucT-VII null mice are caused by structural changes in carbohydrates, we elucidated the carbohydrate structure of GlyCAM-1, a major L-selectin counter-receptor. Our results show that most alpha1,3-fucosylated structures in 6-sulfo sialyl Lewis X are absent and 6-sulfo N-acetyllactosamine is increased in the mutant mice. Surprisingly, the amount of 6'-sulfated galactose (Gal) that bound to Sumbucus nigra agglutinin column was also increased. We found that structures of those oligosaccharides containing 6'-sulfated Gal are almost identical to those synthesized by keratan sulfate sulfotransferase (KSST). We then showed that overexpression of KSST suppresses the expression of sialyl Lewis X on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells engineered to express sialyl Lewis X. Moreover, KSST expression in those cells suppressed lymphocyte rolling compared with mock-transfected CHO cells expressing 6-sulfo sialyl Lewis X. 6'-Sulfo sialyl Lewis X can neither be found in GlyCAM-1 from CHO cells expressing both KSST and FucT-VII nor be found in GlyCAM-1 from HEV of mice. These results combined together suggest that KSST competes with FucT-VII for the same acceptor substrate and downregulates the synthesis of L-selectin ligand by inhibiting alpha1,3-fucosylation.     

Identification of a novel cancer-specific immunodominant glycopeptide epitope in the MUC1 tandem repeat

The cell membrane mucin MUC1 is over-expressed and aberrantly glycosylated in many cancers, and cancer-associated MUC1 glycoforms represent potential targets for immunodiagnostic and therapeutic measures. We have recently shown that MUC1 with GalNAcalpha1-O-Ser/Thr (Tn) and NeuAcalpha2-6GalNAcalpha1-O-Ser/Thr (STn) O-glycosylation is a cancer-specific glycoform, and that Tn/STn-MUC1 glycopeptide-based vaccines can override tolerance in human MUC1 transgenic mice and induce humoral immunity with high specificity for MUC1 cancer-specific glycoforms (Sorensen AL, Reis CA, Tarp MA, Mandel U, Ramachandran K, Sankaranarayanan V, Schwientek T, Graham R, Taylor-Papadimitriou J, Hollingsworth MA, et al. 2006. Chemoenzymatically synthesized multimeric Tn/STn MUC1 glycopeptides elicit cancer-specific anti-MUC1 antibody responses and override tolerance. Glycobiology. 16:96-107). In order to further characterize the immune response to Tn/STn-MUC1 glycoforms, we generated monoclonal antibodies with specificity similar to the polyclonal antibody response found in transgenic mice. In the present study, we define the immunodominant epitope on Tn/STn-MUC1 glycopeptides to the region including the amino acids GSTA of the MUC1 20-amino acid tandem repeat (HGVTSAPDTRPAPGSTAPPA). Most other MUC1 antibodies are directed to the PDTR region, although patients with antibodies to the GSTA region have been identified. A panel of other MUC1 glycoform-specific monoclonal antibodies was included for comparison. The study demonstrates that the GSTA region of the MUC1 tandem repeat contains a highly immunodominant epitope when presented with immature short O-glycans. The cancer-specific expression of this glycopeptide epitope makes it a prime candidate for immunodiagnostic and therapeutic measures.     

Glycosylation of sputum mucins is altered in cystic fibrosis patients

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by chronic lung infection and inflammation, with periods of acute exacerbation causing severe and irreversible lung tissue damage. We used protein and glycosylation analysis of high-molecular mass proteins in saline-induced sputum from CF adults with and without an acute exacerbation, CF children with stable disease and preserved lung function, and healthy non-CF adult and child controls to identify potential biomarkers of lung condition. While the main high-molecular mass proteins in the sputum from all subjects were the mucins MUC5B and MUC5AC, these appeared degraded in CF adults with an exacerbation. The glycosylation of these mucins also showed reduced sulfation, increased sialylation, and reduced fucosylation in CF adults compared with controls. Despite improvements in pulmonary function after hospitalization, these differences remained. Two CF children showed glycoprotein profiles similar to those of CF adults with exacerbations and also presented with pulmonary flares shortly after sampling, while the remaining CF children had profiles indistinguishable from those of healthy non-CF controls. Sputum mucin glycosylation and degradation are therefore not inherently different in CF, and may also be useful predictive biomarkers of lung condition.     

UDP-GalNAc:多肽N-乙酰氨基半乳糖转移酶-14

UDP-GalNAc:多肽N-乙酰氨基半乳糖转移酶家族(简称GalNAc-T)是黏蛋白O-糖基化的起始酶,N-乙酰氨基半乳糖转移酶-14(GalNAc-T14)是该家族中最新发现的成员。近年来有人指出,O-糖基化可能与肿瘤的发生发展具有密切关系,因此对N-乙酰氨基半乳糖转移酶家族的研究也受到越来越多重视。本文主要综述了GalNAc-T14的命名、结构、分布、功能以及潜在的应用价值。     

Gastrointestinal mucins of Fut2-null mice lack terminal fucosylation without affecting colonization by Candida albicans

Posttranslational modification of apomucins by the sequential action of glycosyltransferases is required to produce mature mucins. The Secretor gene (FUT2) encodes an alpha(1,2)fucosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.69) that catalyzes addition of terminal alpha(1,2)fucose residues on mucins and other molecules in mucosal epithelium. Mutant mice containing targeted replacement of Fut2 with the bacterial reporter gene lacZ were studied to determine the affect of the loss of Fut2 on glycosylation of mucins in the gastrointestinal tract. By whole organ X-gal staining, lacZ activity is prominently expressed in the foveolar pit and chief cells of the glandular stomach, Brunner's glands of the duodenum, and goblet cells in the large intestine of Fut2-LacZ-null mice. Staining with Aleuria aurantia agglutinin demonstrates loss of L-fucosylated epithelial glycans throughout the gastrointestinal tract of Fut2-LacZ-null mice, however, histologic appearance of the tissues appears normal. Analysis of oligosaccharides released from insoluble colonic mucins, largely Muc2, by mass spectrometry shows complete lack of terminal fucosylation of O-linked oligosaccharides in Fut2-LacZ-null mice. Precursor glycans accumulate with no evidence of compensation by other fucosyltransferases or sialyltransferases on mucin glycosylation. Because Candida albicans has been reported to adhere to intestinal mucins creating a potential reservoir associated with vaginitis, Fut2-LacZ-null and wild-type mice were inoculated by gastric lavage with C. albicans. We observe no difference in colonization between genotypes suggesting mucin terminal fucosylation does not significantly influence C. albicans-host interaction in the intestine, highlighting that infections caused by the same organism at different mucosal surfaces are not equal.     

Structure-guided mutagenesis of a mucin-selective metalloprotease from Akkermansia muciniphila alters substrate preferences

Akkermansia muciniphila, a mucin-degrading microbe found in the human gut, is often associated with positive health outcomes. The abundance of A. muciniphila is modulated by the presence and accessibility of nutrients, which can be derived from diet or host glycoproteins. In particular, the ability to degrade host mucins, a class of proteins carrying densely O-glycosylated domains, provides a competitive advantage in the sustained colonization of niche mucosal environments. Although A. muciniphila is known to rely on mucins as a carbon and nitrogen source, the enzymatic machinery used by this microbe to process mucins in the gut is not yet fully characterized. Here, we focus on the mucin-selective metalloprotease, Amuc_0627 (AM0627), which is known to cleave between adjacent residues carrying truncated core 1 O-glycans. We showed that this enzyme is capable of degrading purified mucin 2 (MUC2), the major protein component of mucus in the gut. An X-ray crystal structure of AM0627 (1.9 Å resolution) revealed O-glycan–binding residues that are conserved between structurally characterized enzymes from the same family. We further rationalized the substrate cleavage motif using molecular modeling to identify nonconserved glycan-interacting residues. We conclude that mutagenesis of these residues resulted in altered substrate preferences down to the glycan level, providing insight into the structural determinants of O-glycan recognition.     

原核生物蛋白O-糖基化的研究进展

自从在原核生物中发现蛋白糖基化之后,越来越多的O-糖基化机制在不同种属的细菌中被发现。本文根据对O-寡糖基转移酶(O-oligosaccharide transferase,OTase)的依赖与否,将原核生物的O-糖基化分为OTase非依赖型和OTase依赖型,并分别对这两种糖基化机制进行了详细阐述。通过对不同的O-糖基化机制的深入了解,为以后更好地利用这些途径来合成工程化的目标糖蛋白奠定基础。     

Differential properties of native and tagged or untagged recombinant glucose isomerases of Streptomyces sp. SK and possible implication of the glycosylation

A comparative study was performed to investigate the biochemical properties of the native glucose isomerase produced by Streptomyces sp. SK (SKGI) and its two recombinant forms, the common recombinant (r-SKGI) and the tagged (His6-SKGI) isomerases. The findings revealed that the three glucose isomerases displayed different behaviors in particular in terms of thermoactivity, stability at high temperature and specific activity. The thermoactivity/thermostablity and specific activity of r-SKGI were lower than those of native SKGI. SDS-PAGE analyses revealed that native and r-SKGI showed different molecular weights. This could be attributed to the presence of 8% O-glycosylation in the SKGI monomers, which entailed a potential attachment of sugar residues having a total mass of about 3.44 kDa on Thr at positions 6 and/or 30. The results also demonstrated that the His-tagged SKGI was less thermoactive/thermostable than SKGI and r-SKGI. Electrophoretic analysis showed that the His tag significantly affected the dimerization of SKGI. A 3D model of His6-SKGI was constructed. The results showed that the Histidine attachment was located at the dimerization interface and that, unlike the rest of this interface, it was hydrophilic in nature, which presumably hamper the dimerization process and led to the decrease in thermoactivity/thermostablity and catalytic efficiency.     

Glucuronic acid can extend O-linked core 1 glycans, but it contributes only weakly to the negative surface charge of Drosophila melanogaster Schneider-2 cells

Previous studies of the mucin-type O-glycome of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster have revealed a restricted pattern of neutral core-type glycans corresponding to the Tn-(GalNAc) and the T-antigen (Galβ1-3GalNAc). In particular, no extension of the core 1 glycan with acidic sugars, like sialic acid, was detected. Here we report on the identification of an acidic O-linked trisaccharide expressed on secreted endogenous and recombinant glycoproteins of the embryonal hemocyte-like Drosophila Schneider-2 (S2) cell line. The glycan is composed of glucuronic acid, galactose and N-acetylgalactosamine and its structure was determined as GlcA1-3Gal1-3GalNAc. The O-linked trisaccharide resembles the peripheral structures of acidic D. melanogaster glycosphingolipids. Glucuronic acid may substitute for sialic acid in this organism, however its expression on the S2 cell surface may only marginally contribute to the negative surface charge as revealed by free-flow cell electrophoresis prior to and after β-glucuronidase treatment of the cells.