Characterization and expression of highly active recombinant human glucuronyl C5-epimerase in mammalian cells

Heparin, a highly sulfated and epimerized form of heparan sulfate, is a linear polysaccharide with anticoagulant activity widely used in the clinic to prevent and treat thrombotic diseases. However, there are several noteworthy drawbacks associated with animal-sourced heparin during the preparation process. The in vitro enzymatic synthesis of heparin has become a promising substitute for animal-derived heparin. The synthesis of bioengineered heparin involves recombinant expression and preparation of polymerases, sulfotransferases, and an epimerase. D-glucuronyl C5-epimerase (HSepi) catalyzes D-glucuronic acids immediately adjacent to N-sulfo-glucosamine units to L-iduronic acid. Preparation of recombinant HSepi with high activity and production yield for in vitro heparin synthesis has not been resolved as of now. The findings of this study indicate that the catalytic activity of HSepi is regulated using post-translational modifications, including N-linked glycosylation and disulfide bond formation. Further mutation studies suggest that tyrosine residues, such as Tyr168, Tyr222, Tyr500, Tyr560, and Tyr578, are crucial in maintaining HSepi activity. A high-yield expression strategy was established using the lentiviral-based transduction system to produce recombinant HSepi (HSepi589) with a specific activity of up to 1.6 IU/mg. Together, this study contributes to the preparation of highly active HSepi for the enzymatic synthesis of heparins by providing additional insights into the catalytic activity of HSepi.