Fucosylation of Cripto is required for its ability to facilitate nodal signaling

J Biol Chem. 2001 Oct 12;276(41):37769-78. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M104774200. Epub 2001 Aug 10.

Abstract

O-linked fucose modification is rare and has been shown to occur almost exclusively within epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like modules. We have found that the EGF-CFC family member human Cripto-1 (CR) is modified with fucose and through a combination of peptide mapping, mass spectrometry, and sequence analysis localized the site of attachment to Thr-88. The identification of a fucose modification on human CR within its EGF-like domain and the presence of a consensus fucosylation site within all EGF-CFC family members suggest that this is a biologically important modification in CR, which functionally distinguishes it from the EGF ligands that bind the type 1 erbB growth factor receptors. A single CR point mutation, Thr-88 --> Ala, results in a form of the protein that is not fucosylated and has substantially weaker activity in cell-based CR/Nodal signaling assays, indicating that fucosylation is functionally important for CR to facilitate Nodal signaling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • CHO Cells
  • Cricetinae
  • DNA Primers
  • Epidermal Growth Factor*
  • Fucose / metabolism*
  • GPI-Linked Proteins
  • Glycosylation
  • Homeodomain Proteins*
  • Humans
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Membrane Glycoproteins*
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutagenesis
  • Neoplasm Proteins / chemistry
  • Neoplasm Proteins / genetics
  • Neoplasm Proteins / metabolism*
  • Peptide Mapping
  • Point Mutation
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Signal Transduction*
  • Solubility
  • Transcription Factors*
  • Xenopus
  • Xenopus Proteins*

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • GPI-Linked Proteins
  • Homeodomain Proteins
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Membrane Glycoproteins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • TDGF1 protein, human
  • Transcription Factors
  • Xenopus Proteins
  • tdgf1.3 protein, Xenopus
  • Fucose
  • Epidermal Growth Factor