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Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Author Spotlight: Dendritic Cells Maturation Using Sialidases-Based Enzymatic Treatment of the Cell Surface
Published on: October 20, 2023
B-cell-independent sialylation of IgG
Mark B Jones1, Douglas M Oswald1, Smita Joshi2
1Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106;
Abstract:
IgG carrying terminal α2,6-linked sialic acids added to conserved N-glycans within the Fc domain by the sialyltransferase ST6Gal1 accounts for the anti-inflammatory effects of large-dose i.v. Ig (IVIg) in autoimmunity. Here, B-cell-specific ablation of ST6Gal1 in mice revealed that IgG sialylation can occur in the extracellular environment of the bloodstream independently of the B-cell secretory pathway. We also discovered that secreted ST6Gal1 is produced by cells lining central veins in the liver and that IgG sialylation is powered by serum-localized nucleotide sugar donor CMP-sialic acid that is at least partially derived from degranulating platelets. Thus, antibody-secreting cells do not exclusively control the sialylation-dependent anti-inflammatory function of IgG. Rather, IgG sialylation can be regulated by the liver and platelets through the corresponding release of enzyme and sugar donor into the cardiovascular circulation.
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