PUBLICATION

Expression of natural human β1,4-GalT1 variants and of non-mammalian homologues in plants leads to differences in galactosylation of N-glycans

Authors
Hesselink, T., Rouwendal, G.J., Henquet, M.G., Florack, D.E., Helsper, J.P., Bosch, D.
ID
ZDB-PUB-140802-3
Date
2014
Source
Transgenic Research   23(5): 717-28 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Biopharmaceutics/methods*
  • Chickens
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Galactosyltransferases/genetics*
  • Galactosyltransferases/metabolism*
  • Genetic Engineering/methods*
  • Glycosylation
  • Humans
  • Nicotiana/metabolism*
  • Plant Leaves/metabolism*
  • Plants, Genetically Modified
  • Polysaccharides/metabolism*
  • Rats
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sialyltransferases/genetics
  • Species Specificity
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
25082356 Full text @ Transgenic. Res.
Abstract
β1,4-Galactosylation of plant N-glycans is a prerequisite for commercial production of certain biopharmaceuticals in plants. Two different types of galactosylated N-glycans have initially been reported in plants as the result of expression of human β1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 (GalT). Here we show that these differences are associated with differences at its N-terminus: the natural short variant of human GalT results in hybrid type N-glycans, whereas the long form generates bi-antennary complex type N-glycans. Furthermore, expression of non-mammalian, chicken and zebrafish GalT homologues with N-termini resembling the short human GalT N-terminus also induce hybrid type N-glycans. Providing both non-mammalian GalTs with a 13 amino acid N-terminal extension that distinguishes the two naturally occurring forms of human GalT, acted to increase the levels of bi-antennary galactosylated N-glycans when expressed in tobacco leaves. Replacement of the cytosolic tail and transmembrane domain of chicken and zebrafish GalTs with the corresponding region of rat α2,6-sialyltransferase yielded a gene whose expression enhanced the level of bi-antennary galactosylation even further.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping