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Published on: June 28, 2024
Extrinsic Functions of Lectin Domains in O-N-Acetylgalactosamine Glycan Biosynthesis
Virginia Lorenz1, Yanina Ditamo1, Romina B Cejas1
1From the Centro de Investigaciones en Química Biológica de Córdoba (CIQUIBIC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), and Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, X5000HUA Córdoba, Argentina and.
Abstract:
Glycan biosynthesis occurs mainly in Golgi. Molecular organization and functional regulation of this process are not well understood. We evaluated the extrinsic effect of lectin domains (β-trefoil fold) of polypeptide GalNAc-transferases (ppGalNAc-Ts) on catalytic activity of glycosyltransferases during O-GalNAc glycan biosynthesis. The presence of lectin domain T3lec or T4lec during ppGalNAc-T2 and ppGalNAc-T3 catalytic reaction had a clear inhibitory effect on GalNAc-T activity. Interaction of T3lec or T4lec with ppGalNAc-T2 catalytic domain was not mediated by carbohydrate. T3lec, but not T2lec and T4lec, had a clear activating effect on Drosophila melanogaster core 1 galactosyltransferase enzyme activity and a predominant inhibitory effect on in vivo human core 1 glycan biosynthesis. The regulatory role of the β-trefoil fold of ppGalNAc-Ts in enzymatic activity of glycosyltransferases involved in the O-glycan biosynthesis pathway, described here for the first time, helps clarify the mechanism of biosynthesis of complex biopolymers (such as glycans) that is not template-driven.
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