Multi-domain O-GlcNAcase structures reveal allosteric regulatory mechanisms

Nucleocytoplasmic protein O-GlcNAcylation is a dynamic modification catalysed by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and reversed by O-GlcNAc hydrolase (OGA), whose activities are regulated through largely unknown O-GlcNAc-dependent feedback mechanisms. OGA is a homodimeric, multi-domain enzyme containing a catalytic core and a pseudo-histone acetyltransferase (pHAT) domain. While a catalytic structure has been reported, the structure and function of the pHAT domain remain elusive. Here, we report a crystal structure of the Trichoplax adhaerens pHAT domain and cryo-EM data of the multi-domain T. adhaerens and human OGAs, complemented by biophysical analyses. Here, we show that the eukaryotic OGA pHAT domain forms catalytically incompetent, symmetric homodimers, projecting a partially conserved putative peptide-binding site. In solution, OGA exist as flexible multi-domain dimers, but catalytic core-pHAT linker interactions restrict pHAT positional range. In human OGA, pHAT movements remodel the active site environment through conformational changes in a flexible arm region. These findings reveal allosteric mechanisms through which the pHAT domain contributes to O-GlcNAc homeostasis.