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Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology Dec 2020Glycosylation is the most abundant and diverse form of post-translational modification of proteins that is common to all eukaryotic cells. Enzymatic glycosylation of... (Review)
Review
Glycosylation is the most abundant and diverse form of post-translational modification of proteins that is common to all eukaryotic cells. Enzymatic glycosylation of proteins involves a complex metabolic network and different types of glycosylation pathways that orchestrate enormous amplification of the proteome in producing diversity of proteoforms and its biological functions. The tremendous structural diversity of glycans attached to proteins poses analytical challenges that limit exploration of specific functions of glycosylation. Major advances in quantitative transcriptomics, proteomics and nuclease-based gene editing are now opening new global ways to explore protein glycosylation through analysing and targeting enzymes involved in glycosylation processes. In silico models predicting cellular glycosylation capacities and glycosylation outcomes are emerging, and refined maps of the glycosylation pathways facilitate genetic approaches to address functions of the vast glycoproteome. These approaches apply commonly available cell biology tools, and we predict that use of (single-cell) transcriptomics, genetic screens, genetic engineering of cellular glycosylation capacities and custom design of glycoprotein therapeutics are advancements that will ignite wider integration of glycosylation in general cell biology.
Topics: Carbohydrate Metabolism; Glycoproteins; Glycosylation; Humans; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Polysaccharides; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Proteome
PubMed: 33087899
DOI: 10.1038/s41580-020-00294-x -
Nature Reviews. Rheumatology Jan 2023Glycosylation has a profound influence on protein activity and cell biology through a variety of mechanisms, such as protein stability, receptor interactions and signal... (Review)
Review
Glycosylation has a profound influence on protein activity and cell biology through a variety of mechanisms, such as protein stability, receptor interactions and signal transduction. In many rheumatic diseases, a shift in protein glycosylation occurs, and is associated with inflammatory processes and disease progression. For example, the Fc-glycan composition on (auto)antibodies is associated with disease activity, and the presence of additional glycans in the antigen-binding domains of some autoreactive B cell receptors can affect B cell activation. In addition, changes in synovial fibroblast cell-surface glycosylation can alter the synovial microenvironment and are associated with an altered inflammatory state and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. The development of our understanding of the role of glycosylation of plasma proteins (particularly (auto)antibodies), cells and tissues in rheumatic pathological conditions suggests that glycosylation-based interventions could be used in the treatment of these diseases.
Topics: Humans; Glycomics; Glycosylation; Rheumatic Diseases; Arthritis, Rheumatoid
PubMed: 36418483
DOI: 10.1038/s41584-022-00867-4 -
Molecular Aspects of Medicine Jun 2021O-glycosylation is a highly frequent post-translation modification of proteins, with important functional implications in both physiological and disease contexts. The... (Review)
Review
O-glycosylation is a highly frequent post-translation modification of proteins, with important functional implications in both physiological and disease contexts. The biosynthesis of O-glycans depends on several layers of regulation of the cellular glycosylation machinery, being organ-, tissue- and cell-specific. This review provides insights on the molecular mechanism underlying O-glycan biosynthesis and modification, and highlights illustrative examples of diseases that are triggered or modulated by aberrant cellular O-glycosylation. Particular relevance is given to genetic disorders of glycosylation, infectious diseases and cancer. Finally, we address the potential of O-glycans and their biosynthetic pathways as targets for novel therapeutic strategies.
Topics: Glycosylation; Humans; Neoplasms; Polysaccharides; Protein Processing, Post-Translational
PubMed: 33775405
DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2021.100964 -
Advances in understanding N-glycosylation structure, function, and regulation in health and disease.European Journal of Cell Biology 2021N-linked glycosylation is a post-translational modification crucial for membrane protein folding, stability and other cellular functions. Alteration of membrane protein... (Review)
Review
N-linked glycosylation is a post-translational modification crucial for membrane protein folding, stability and other cellular functions. Alteration of membrane protein N-glycans is implicated in wide range of pathological conditions including cancer metastasis, chronic inflammatory diseases, and viral pathogenesis. Even though the roles of N-glycans have been studied extensively, our knowledge of their mechanisms remains unclear due to the lack of detailed structural analysis of the N-glycome. Mapping the N-glycome landscape will open new avenues to explore disease mechanisms and identify novel therapeutic targets. This review discusses the diverse structure of N-linked glycans, the function and regulation of N-glycosylation in health and disease, and ends with a focus on recent approaches to target N-glycans in rheumatoid arthritis and cancer metastasis.
Topics: Glycosylation; Polysaccharides; Protein Processing, Post-Translational
PubMed: 34839178
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2021.151186 -
Cell Death and Differentiation Aug 2023Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a highly fatal malignancy partially due to the acquired alterations related to aberrant protein glycosylation that...
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a highly fatal malignancy partially due to the acquired alterations related to aberrant protein glycosylation that pathologically remodel molecular biological processes and protect PDAC cells from death. Ferroptosis driven by lethal lipid peroxidation provides a targetable vulnerability for PDAC. However, the crosstalk between glycosylation and ferroptosis remains unclear. Here, we identified 4F2hc, a subunit of the glutamate-cystine antiporter system X, and its asparagine (N)-glycosylation is involved in PDAC ferroptosis by N- and O-linked glycoproteomics. Knockdown of SLC3A2 (gene name of 4F2hc) or blocking the N-glycosylation of 4F2hc potentiates ferroptosis sensitization of PDAC cells by impairing the activity of system X manifested by a marked decrease in intracellular glutathione. Mechanistically, we found that the glycosyltransferase B3GNT3 catalyzes the glycosylation of 4F2hc, stabilizes the 4F2hc protein, and enhances the interaction between 4F2hc and xCT. Knockout of B3GNT3 or deletion of enzymatically active B3GNT3 sensitizes PDAC cells to ferroptosis. Reconstitution of 4F2hc-deficient cells with wildtype 4F2hc restores ferroptosis resistance while glycosylation-mutated 4F2hc does not. Additionally, upon combination with a ferroptosis inducer, treatment with the classical N-glycosylation inhibitor tunicamycin (TM) markedly triggers the overactivation of lipid peroxidation and enhances the sensitivity of PDAC cells to ferroptosis. Notably, we confirmed that genetic perturbation of SLC3A2 or combination treatment with TM significantly augments ferroptosis-induced inhibition of orthotopic PDAC. Clinically, high expression of 4F2hc and B3GNT3 contributes to the progression and poor survival of PDAC patients. Collectively, our findings reveal a previously unappreciated function of N-glycosylation of 4F2hc in ferroptosis and suggest that dual targeting the vulnerabilities of N-glycosylation and ferroptosis may be an innovative therapeutic strategy for PDAC.
Topics: Humans; Glycosylation; Ferroptosis; Glycosyltransferases; Cell Line, Tumor; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal; N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases
PubMed: 37479744
DOI: 10.1038/s41418-023-01188-z -
Theranostics 2023Cell surface glycosylation has a variety of functions, and its dysregulation in cancer contributes to impaired signaling, metastasis and the evasion of the immune... (Review)
Review
Cell surface glycosylation has a variety of functions, and its dysregulation in cancer contributes to impaired signaling, metastasis and the evasion of the immune responses. Recently, a number of glycosyltransferases that lead to altered glycosylation have been linked to reduced anti-tumor immune responses: B3GNT3, which is implicated in PD-L1 glycosylation in triple negative breast cancer, FUT8, through fucosylation of B7H3, and B3GNT2, which confers cancer resistance to T cell cytotoxicity. Given the increased appreciation of the relevance of protein glycosylation, there is a critical need for the development of methods that allow for an unbiased interrogation of cell surface glycosylation status. Here we provide an overview of the broad changes in glycosylation at the surface of cancer cell and describe selected examples of receptors with aberrant glycosylation leading to functional changes, with emphasis on immune checkpoint inhibitors, growth-promoting and growth-arresting receptors. Finally, we posit that the field of glycoproteomics has matured to an extent where large-scale profiling of intact glycopeptides from the cell surface is feasible and is poised for discovery of new actionable targets against cancer.
Topics: Humans; Glycosylation; Cell Membrane; Glycopeptides; Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms; Carrier Proteins
PubMed: 37215580
DOI: 10.7150/thno.81760 -
Current Opinion in Structural Biology Dec 2022
Topics: Glycosylation; Carbohydrates
PubMed: 36179500
DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102468 -
Bioinformatics (Oxford, England) Sep 2022We have previously designed and implemented a tree-based ontology to represent glycan structures with the aim of searching these structures with a glyco-driven syntax....
MOTIVATION
We have previously designed and implemented a tree-based ontology to represent glycan structures with the aim of searching these structures with a glyco-driven syntax. This resulted in creating the GlySTreeM knowledge-base as a linchpin of the structural matching procedure and we now introduce a query language, called GlycoQL, for the actual implementation of a glycan structure search.
RESULTS
The methodology is described and illustrated with a use-case focused on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein glycosylation. We show how to enhance site annotation with federated queries involving UniProt and GlyConnect, our glycoprotein database.
AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION
https://glyconnect.expasy.org/glycoql/.
Topics: COVID-19; Glycoproteins; Glycosylation; Humans; Polysaccharides; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 36124803
DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btac500 -
Current Opinion in Structural Biology Aug 2022The structure and post-translational processing of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S) is intimately associated with the function of the virus and of sterilising... (Review)
Review
The structure and post-translational processing of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S) is intimately associated with the function of the virus and of sterilising vaccines. The surface of the S protein is extensively modified by glycans, and their biosynthesis is driven by both the wider cellular context, and importantly, the underlining protein structure and local glycan density. Comparison of virally derived S protein with both recombinantly derived and adenovirally induced proteins, reveal hotspots of protein-directed glycosylation that drive conserved glycosylation motifs. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that, while the S surface is extensively shielded by N-glycans, it presents regions vulnerable to neutralising antibodies. Furthermore, glycans have been shown to influence the accessibility of the receptor binding domain and the binding to the cellular receptor. The emerging picture is one of unifying, principles of S protein glycosylation and an intimate role of glycosylation in immunogen structure and efficacy.
Topics: COVID-19; Glycosylation; Humans; Polysaccharides; Protein Binding; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 35717706
DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102402 -
Biotechnology Advances Sep 2023Glycosylation-mediated post-translational modification is critical for regulating many fundamental processes like cell division, differentiation, immune response, and... (Review)
Review
Glycosylation-mediated post-translational modification is critical for regulating many fundamental processes like cell division, differentiation, immune response, and cell-to-cell interaction. Alterations in the N-linked or O-linked glycosylation pattern of regulatory proteins like transcription factors or cellular receptors lead to many diseases, including cancer. These alterations give rise to micro- and macro-heterogeneity in tumor cells. Here, we review the role of O- and N-linked glycosylation and its regulatory function in autoimmunity and aberrant glycosylation in cancer. The change in cellular glycome could result from a change in the expression of glycosidases or glycosyltransferases like N-acetyl-glucosaminyl transferase V, FUT8, ST6Gal-I, DPAGT1, etc., impact the glycosylation of target proteins leading to transformation. Moreover, the mutations in glycogenes affect glycosylation patterns on immune cells leading to other related manifestations like pro- or anti-inflammatory effects. In recent years, understanding the glycome to cancer indicates that it can be utilized for both diagnosis/prognosis as well as immunotherapy. Studies involving mass spectrometry of proteome, site- and structure-specific glycoproteomics, or transcriptomics/genomics of patient samples and cancer models revealed the importance of glycosylation homeostasis in cancer biology. The development of emerging technologies, such as the lectin microarray, has facilitated research on the structure and function of glycans and glycosylation. Newly developed devices allow for high-throughput, high-speed, and precise research on aberrant glycosylation. This paper also discusses emerging technologies and clinical applications of glycosylation.
Topics: Humans; Glycosylation; Neoplasms; Glycosyltransferases; Lectins; Immunotherapy; Polysaccharides
PubMed: 37030554
DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108149