Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel human beta1,3-glucosyltransferase, which is localized at the endoplasmic reticulum and glucosylates O-linked fucosylglycan on thrombospondin type 1 repeat domain

Glycobiology. 2006 Dec;16(12):1194-206. doi: 10.1093/glycob/cwl035. Epub 2006 Aug 9.

Abstract

Protein O-linked fucosylation is an unusual glycosylation associated with many important biological functions such as Notch signaling. Two fucosylation pathways synthesizing O-fucosylglycans have been reported on cystein-knotted proteins, that is, on epidermal growth factor-like (EGF-like) domains and on thrombospondin Type 1 repeat (TSR) domains. We report here the molecular cloning and characterization of a novel beta1,3-glucosyltransferase (beta3Glc-T) that synthesizes a Glcbeta1,3Fucalpha- structure on the TSR domain. We found a novel glycosyltransferase gene with beta1,3-glycosyltransferase (beta3GT) motifs in databases. The recombinant enzyme expressed in human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK293T) cells exhibited glucosyltransferase activity toward fucose-alpha-para-nitrophenyl (Fucalpha-pNp). Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis revealed that the product of the recombinant enzyme migrated to the same position as did the product of endogenous beta3Glc-T of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The two products could be digested by beta-glucosidase from almond and by exo-1,3-beta-glucanase from Trichoderma sp. These results strongly suggested that the product has the structure of Glcbeta1-3Fuc. Therefore, we named this novel enzyme beta3Glc-T. Immunostaining revealed that FLAG-tagged beta3Glc-T is an enzyme residing in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via retention signal, "REEL," which is a KDEL-like sequence, at the C-terminus. The TSR domain expressed in Escherichia coli was first fucosylated by the recombinant protein O-fucosyltransferase 2 (POFUT2), after which it became an acceptor substrate for the recombinant beta3Glc-T, which could apparently transfer Glc to the fucosylated TSR domain. Our results suggest that a novel glycosyltransferase, beta3Glc-T, contributes to the elongation of O-fucosylglycan and that this occurs specifically on TSR domains.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Cricetinae
  • Cricetulus
  • DNA, Complementary / genetics
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / enzymology*
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Fucose / metabolism
  • Fucosyltransferases / biosynthesis
  • Galactosyltransferases
  • Glucosyltransferases / analysis
  • Glucosyltransferases / chemistry*
  • Glucosyltransferases / genetics
  • Glycosylation
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Polysaccharides / metabolism
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Recombinant Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Substrate Specificity
  • Thrombospondin 1 / chemistry
  • Thrombospondin 1 / metabolism*

Substances

  • DNA, Complementary
  • Polysaccharides
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Thrombospondin 1
  • Fucose
  • B3GLCT protein, human
  • Fucosyltransferases
  • Galactosyltransferases
  • Glucosyltransferases
  • 1,3-beta-glucan synthase

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AB101481
  • GENBANK/AB253762