A proton channel, Otopetrin 1 (OTOP1) is N-glycosylated at two asparagine residues in third extracellular loop

A proton (H⁺) channel, Otopetrin 1 (OTOP1) is an acid sensor in the sour taste receptor cells. Although OTOP1 is known to be activated by extracellular acid, no posttranslational modification of OTOP1 has been reported. As one of the posttranslational modifications, glycosylation is known to modulate many ion channels. In this study, we investigated whether OTOP1 is glycosylated and how the glycosylation affects OTOP1 function. Pharmacological and enzymatic examinations (using an N-glycosylation inhibitor, tunicamycin and peptide: N-glycanase F [PNGase F]) revealed that overexpressed mouse OTOP1 was N-glycosylated. As the N-glycans were Endoglycosidase H (Endo H)-sensitive, they were most likely high-mannose type. A site-directed mutagenesis approach revealed that both two asparagine residues (N238 and N251) in the third extracellular loop between the fifth transmembrane region and the sixth transmembrane region (L5-6) were the glycosylation sites. Prevention of the glycosylations by the mutations of the asparagine residues or by tunicamycin treatment diminished the whole-cell OTOP1 current densities. The results of cell surface biotinylation assay showed that the prevention of the glycosylations reduced the surface expression of OTOP1 at the plasma membrane. These results indicate that mouse OTOP1 is N-glycosylated at N238 and N251, and that the glycosylations are necessary for OTOP1 to show the maximum degree of H⁺ current densities at the plasma membrane through promoting its targeting to the plasma membrane. These findings on glycosylations of OTOP1 will be a part of a comprehensive understanding on the regulations of OTOP1 function.