Enzymatic O-glycosylation of kappa-caseinomacropeptide by ovine mammary Golgi membranes

The results of subcellular fractionation of sheep mammary gland membranes indicate that N-acetylgalactosaminyl polypeptide transferase and galactosyl-N-acetylgalactosaminyl transferase, which are involved in the assembly of disaccharide units of kappa-casein, are localized chiefly in Golgi membranes. The glycosyltransferase activities incorporating N-acetyl [1-14C] galactosamine and [U-14C] galactose from uridine diphosphate N-acetyl [1-14C] galactosamine and uridine diphosphate [U-14C] galactose, respectively, were measured after membrane solubilization with Triton X-100 either with unglycosylated caseinomacropeptide, or with this polypeptide containing the N-acetylgalactosamine side chain residues (desialylated and degalactosylated caseinomacropeptide). Radioactive N-acetylgalactosamine was incorporated in the unglycosylated acceptor peptide, and the glycosidic bonds in the product were alkali labile, suggesting that they were linked to the hydroxyamino acid residues. In addition radioactive N-acetylgalactosamine was released after alpha N-acetyl-D-galactosaminidase treatment of labelled caseinomacropeptide. [U-14C] galactose was incorporated in the desialylated and degalactosylated acceptor peptide. Reductive alkaline treatment of [U-14C] galactose peptide resulted in the release of a major product, the chromatographic properties of which in TLC were identical with authentic galactosyl (1 leads to 3) N-acetylgalactosaminitol. The structure of the labelled disacchariditol determined after periodate oxidation (two equivalents) by gas liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed that the [U-14C] galactose was linked to position C-3 on the N-acetylgalactosaminyl-residue. The anomery of the galactose, as determined by a chemical method, indicates unambiguously a beta configuration.     

N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase substrates prepared from glycoproteins by hydrazinolysis of the asparagine-N-acetylglucosamine linkage. Purification and structural determination of oligosaccharides with mannose andN-acetylglucosamine at the non-reducing termini

Sixteen asparagine-linked oligosaccharides ranging in size from (Man)₂(GlcNAc)₂ (Fuc)₁ to (GlcNAc)₆(Man)₃(GlcNAc)₂ were obtained from human ₁-acid glycoprotein and fibrinogen, hen ovomucoid and ovalbumin, and bovine fetuin, fibrin and thyroglobulin by hydrazinolysis, mild acid hydrolysis and glycosidase treatment. The oligosaccharides hadN-acetylglucosamine at the reducing termini and mannose andN-acetylglucosamine residues at the non-reducing termini and were prepared for use asN-acetylglucosaminyltransferase substrates. Purification of the oligosaccharides involved gel filtration and high performance liquid chromatography on reverse phase and amine-bonded silica columns. Structures were determined by 360 MHz and 500 MHz proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry and methylation analysis. Several of these oligosaccharides have not previously been well characterized.Abbreviations bis bisecting GlcNAc - DMSO dimethylsulfoxide - FAB fast atom bombardment - Fuc l-fucose - Gal d-galactose - GLC gas-liquid chromatography - GlcNAc or Gn N-acetyl-d-glucosamine - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - Man or M d-mannose - MES 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonate - MS mass spectrometry - NMR nuclear magnetic resonance - PIPES piperazine-N,N-bis(2-ethane sulfonic acid) the nomenclature of the oligosaccharides is shown in Table 1.     

The use of hydrophobic synthetic glycosides as acceptors in glycosyltransferase assays

A general method is described for the assay of glycosyltransferase activity, which makes use of synthetic glycoside acceptors attached to hydrophobic aglycones. The products formed by incubation of an enzyme with acceptor and radiolabelled sugarnucleotide can then be rapidly (one minute) separated from interfering radioactivity by adsorption on to reverse-phase C-18 cartridges. After aqueous washing, products are easily isolated by elution with methanol. The utility of the method for the assay of (1–4)galactosyltransferase, (1–2)fucosyltransferase andN-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I and V is demonstrated.     

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the measurement of blood group A and B glycosyltransferase activities

ELISA assays have been developed for (1–3)N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (blood group A transferase) and (1–3)galactosyltransferase (blood group B transferase) activities. In these assays, microtitre plates coated with the bovine serum albumin conjugate of a synthetic Fuc1–2Gal-R acceptor substrate are incubated with the appropriate nucleotide donor (UDP-GalNAc or UDP-Gal) and human serum as the enzyme source. The resulting trisaccharide products Fuc1–2(GalNAc1–3)Gal-R-BSA or Fuc1–2(Gal1–3)Gal-R-BSA are detected and quantified with monoclonal antibodies selected not to cross-react with the substrate structure. With less than a microliter of human serum, product formation is proportional to enzyme concentration and to time of incubation of up to 90 min.     

Expression of the T antigen on a T-lymphoid cell line, SupT1

We have measured glycosyltransferase activities of SupT1 cells, a T-lymphoid cell line shown to react with autoantibodies in the sera of many HIV patients. Since considerable -N-acetylgalactosaminyl-transferase and 1, 3 galactosyl-transferase activities were found in SupT1 cells, at least the O-glycan core 1 structure can probably be synthesized. FACS analysis using an anti-T monoclonal antibody showed expression of the T antigen (Gal 1-3 GalNAc). Glycoproteins with the T antigen were isolated by immunoprecipitation with the anti-T antibody from a SupT1 cell lysate labelled metabolically with³H-glucosamine and then analysed by SDS-PAGE. It was revealed that the precipitate contained a glycoprotein with a molecular weight corresponding to that of leukosialin. O-glycans were prepared from the immunoprecipitate by alkaline-borohydride treatment and then fractionated on Bio-Gel P-2, GalNAcOH and Gal-GalNAcOH being identifiedinter alia. These results suggest that an anti-T antibody may be included in the autoantibodies found in HIV-1 infected individuals.     

Cloning and expression of a porcine UDP-GalNAc: polypeptideN-acetylgalactosaminyl transferase

By employing a bovine UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine: polypeptideN-acetylgalactosaminyl transferase (O-GalNAc transferase) cDNA as a probe, we isolated four overlapping cDNAs from a porcine lung cDNA library. Both the nucleotide sequence of the porcine cDNA and the predicted primary structure of the protein (559 amino acids) proved to be very similar to those of the bovine enzyme (95% and 99% identity, respectively). Transient expression of the clone in COS-7 cells, followed by enzymatic activity assays, demonstrated that this cDNA sequence encodes a porcine O-GalNAc transferase. The intracellular O-GalNAc transferase activity was increased approximately 100-fold by transfecting cells with the porcine cDNA.Abbreviations O-GalNAc transferase UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine: polypeptideN-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase - PCR polymerase chain reaction - SDS sodium dodecyl sulfate - PAGE polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - GnT-III UDP-N-acetylglucosamine: -mannoside -1,4N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase III     

Distinct glycosyltransferases synthesize E-selectin ligands in human vs. mouse leukocytes

The binding of selectins to carbohydrate epitopes expressed on leukocytes is the first step in a multi-step cell adhesion cascade that controls the rate of leukocyte recruitment at sites of inflammation. The glycans that function as selectin-ligands are post-translationally synthesized by the serial action of Golgi resident enzymes called glycosyltransferases (glycoTs). Whereas much of our current knowledge regarding the role of glycoTs in constructing selectin-ligands comes from reconstituted biochemical investigations or murine models, tools to assess the impact of these enzymes on the human ligands are relatively underdeveloped. This is significant since the selectin-ligands, particularly those that bind E-selectin, vary between different leukocyte cell populations and they are also different in humans compared with mice. To address this shortcoming, a recent study by Buffone et al. (2013) outlines a systematic strategy to knockdown upto three glycoTs simultaneously in human leukocytes. The results suggest that the fucosyltransferases (FUTs) regulating selectin-ligand synthesis may be species-specific. In particular, they demonstrate that FUT9 plays a significant role during human, but not mouse, leukocyte-endothelial interactions. Overall, this article discusses the relative roles of the FUTs during human L-, E-, and P-selectin-ligand biosynthesis, and the potential that the knockdown strategy outlined here may assess the role of other glycoTs in human leukocytes also.     

Identification of an additional protein involved in mannan biosynthesis

Galactomannans comprise a β‐1,4‐mannan backbone substituted with α‐1,6‐galactosyl residues. Genes encoding the enzymes that are primarily responsible for backbone synthesis and side‐chain addition of galactomannans were previously identified and characterized. To identify additional genes involved in galactomannan biosynthesis, we previously performed deep EST profiling of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum‐graecum L.) seed endosperm, which accumulates large quantities of galactomannans as a reserve carbohydrate during seed development. One of the candidate genes encodes a protein that is likely to be a glycosyltransferase. Because this protein is involved in mannan biosynthesis, we named it ‘mannan synthesis‐related’ (MSR). Here, we report the characterization of a fenugreek MSR gene (TfMSR) and its two Arabidopsis homologs, AtMSR1 and AtMSR2. TfMSR was highly and specifically expressed in the endosperm. TfMSR, AtMSR1 and AtMSR2 proteins were all determined to be localized to the Golgi by fluorescence confocal microscopy. The level of mannosyl residues in stem glucomannans decreased by approximately 40% for Arabidopsis msr1 single T‐DNA insertion mutants and by more than 50% for msr1 msr2 double mutants, but remained unchanged for msr2 single mutants. In addition, in vitro mannan synthase activity from the stems of msr1 single and msr1 msr2 double mutants also decreased. Expression of AtMSR1 or AtMSR2 in the msr1 msr2 double mutant completely or partially restored mannosyl levels. From these results, we conclude that the MSR protein is important for mannan biosynthesis, and offer some ideas about its role.     

Biosynthesis of the anti‐diabetic metabolite montbretin A: glucosylation of the central intermediate mini‐MbA

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) affects over 320 million people worldwide. Healthy lifestyles, improved drugs and effective nutraceuticals are different components of a response against the growing T2D epidemic. The specialized metabolite montbretin A (MbA) is being developed for treatment of T2D and obesity due to its unique pharmacological activity as a highly effective and selective inhibitor of the human pancreatic α‐amylase. MbA is an acylated flavonol glycoside found in small amounts in montbretia (Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora) corms. MbA cannot be obtained in sufficient quantities for drug development from its natural source or by chemical synthesis. To overcome these limitations through metabolic engineering, we are investigating the genes and enzymes of MbA biosynthesis. We previously reported the first three steps of MbA biosynthesis from myricetin to myricetin 3‐O‐(6′‐O‐caffeoyl)‐glucosyl rhamnoside (mini‐MbA). Here, we describe the sequence of reactions from mini‐MbA to MbA, and the discovery and characterization of the gene and enzyme responsible for the glucosylation of mini‐MbA. The UDP‐dependent glucosyltransferase CcUGT3 (UGT703E1) catalyzes the 1,2‐glucosylation of mini‐MbA to produce myricetin 3‐O‐(glucosyl‐6′‐O‐caffeoyl)‐glucosyl rhamnoside. Co‐expression of CcUGT3 with genes for myricetin and mini‐MbA biosynthesis in Nicotiana benthamiana validated its biological function and expanded the set of genes available for metabolic engineering of MbA.