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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 281, Issue 14, 9385-9392, April 7, 2006
Two Distinct Pathways for O-Fucosylation of Epidermal Growth Factor-like or Thrombospondin Type 1 Repeats*From the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Developmental Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-5215
Received for publication, November 7, 2005 , and in revised form, February 7, 2006.
Epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) repeats and thrombospondin type 1 repeats (TSRs) are both small cysteine-knot motifs known to be O-fucosylated. The enzyme responsible for the addition of O-fucose to EGF repeats, protein O-fucosyltransferase 1 (POFUT1), has been identified and shown to be essential in Notch signaling. Fringe, an O-fucose 1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, elongates O-fucose on specific EGF repeats from Notch to form a disaccharide that can be further elongated to a tetrasaccharide. TSRs are found in many extracellular matrix proteins and are involved in protein-protein interactions. The O-fucose moiety on TSRs can be further elongated with glucose to form a disaccharide. The discovery of O-fucose on TSRs raised the question of whether POFUT1, or a different enzyme, adds O-fucose to TSRs. Here we demonstrate the existence of a TSR-specific O-fucosyltransferase distinct from POFUT1. Similar to POFUT1, the novel TSR-specific O-fucosyltransferase is a soluble enzyme that requires a properly folded TSR as an acceptor substrate. In addition, we found that a previously identified fucose-specific 1,3-glucosyltransferase adds glucose to O-fucose on TSRs, but it does not modify O-fucose on an EGF repeat. Similarly, Lunatic fringe, Manic fringe, and Radical fringe are all capable of modifying O-fucose on an EGF repeat, but not on a TSR. Taken together, these results suggest that two distinct O-fucosylation pathways exist in cells, one specific for EGF repeat and the other for TSRs.
O-Fucose is an unusual form of glycosylation in which a fucose is covalently attached to the hydroxyl group (O-linkage) of a serine or threonine residue. It was originally found in amino acid fucosides isolated from human urine (1). Later, O-fucose was shown to exist on epidermal growth factor-like (EGF)2 repeats of several proteins, including urinary-type plasminogen activator, tissue-type plasminogen activator, Factor VII, Factor IX, Notch, and Cripto (2-5). EGF repeats are small cysteine-knot motifs of 40 amino acids in length defined by six conserved cysteines forming three disulfide bonds in a specific pattern: Cys1-Cys3, Cys2-Cys4, and Cys5-Cys6 (6). Several studies have shown that O-fucose on some proteins is further elongated to a tetrasaccharide, NeuAc- 2,3/6-Gal- 1,4-GlcNAc- 1,3-Fuc-O-Ser/Thr, whereas on others O-fucose is elongated to the disaccharide, Glc- 1,3-Fuc-O-Ser/Thr (7-9). Based on the presence of two different forms of elongated O-fucose, we had originally proposed that the O-fucose glycosylation pathway was branched, and that the enzymes modifying O-fucose, the fucose-specific 1,3-glucosyltransferase and the fucose-specific 1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, would compete with the one another (9).
More recently, a significant role for O-fucosylation of EGF repeats within the Notch receptor protein has been revealed (10, 11). Fringe, a known modulator of Notch signaling, is a fucose-specific
In addition to EGF repeats, Hofsteenge and co-workers (22, 23) have shown that O-fucose occurs in a totally different protein context: thrombospondin type 1 repeats (TSRs). TSRs are small cysteine-knot modules of
The presence of O-fucose on TSRs raised the question of whether POFUT1 or a novel enzyme is responsible for adding O-fucose to TSRs. Because TSRs are also cysteine-knot motifs, it is plausible that POFUT1 could fucosylate both EGF repeats and TSRs. Here we examine whether POFUT1 modifies both EGF repeats and TSRs or whether a unique enzyme exists for fucosylation of TSRs. In addition, we examine whether the glucose-fucose disaccharide seen by Hofsteenge and co-workers (22, 23) on TSRs is the Glc-
MaterialsGDP- -L-Fucose was purchased from Oxford GlycoSystems. L-[6-3H]Fucose (60 Ci/mmol) and GDP-[1-3H(N)]fucose (17.3 Ci/mmol) were purchased from American Radiolabeled Chemicals (St. Louis, MO). Human factor VII EGF was either kindly provided by Dr. Yang Wang or synthesized as described (25). The Lec1-CHO cell line was developed by Dr. Pamela Stanley (26). Solid Phase Extraction C18 cartridges were purchased from Agilent Technologies. Alditol sugar standards were prepared by reduction of the corresponding sugar with sodium borohydride as described (27). Reverse-phase C18 HPLC columns (4.6 x 250 mm) were purchased from Vydac. Generation of soluble and membrane fractions of COS1 cells, extraction of Lec1-CHO cells, and preparation of recombinant POFUT1, Lunatic fringe, Manic fringe, and Radical fringe were described elsewhere (28, 29). All other reagents were of the highest quality available. Plasmid ConstructionConstructs for expressing the third TSR from human thrombospondin-1 (TSP1-TSR3) in mammalian cells (pSecTag-hTSP1-TSR3) and Escherichia coli (pET20b+-hTSP1-TSR3) were prepared as follows. DNA sequences encoding TSP1-TSR3 (amino acids 472-530) were amplified using primers containing HindIII and XhoI sites (5'-TCGCTAAAGCTTCCATCAATGGAGGCT-3' and 5'-TCGACGATCTCGAGGAATTGGACAGTCCTG-3', for pSecTag-hTSP1-TSR3) or primers containing BamHI and XhoI sites (5'-ACCGAAGGATCCCATCAATGGAGGCTGGGG-3' and 5'-TGAAATCTCGAGAATTGGACAGTCCTGCTTGTTGC-3', for pET20b+-hTSP1-TSR3). A plasmid encoding the three TSRs of human TSP1 (kindly provided by Dr. Deane Mosher, University of Wisconsin) was used as template. The amplified fragments were then subcloned into pSecTag2C vector in-frame with a C-terminal Myc and His6 coding sequence using HindIII and XhoI sites or pET20b+ vector in-frame with a C-terminal His6 coding sequence using BamHI and XhoI sites. To mutate the O-fucose site in both constructs, threonine 489 was changed to Ala (T489A) using the Stratagene QuikChange Site-directed Mutagenesis Protocol, with primers 5'-CATCTGTTCTGTCGCCTGTGGAGGAGGG-3' and 5'-CCCTCCTCCACAGGCGACAGAACAGATG-3'. All constructs were sequenced prior to further study.
Analysis of O-Fucose Saccharide Structure on the Third TSR of Human Thrombospondin 1The plasmid encoding wild type or the T489A mutant of TSP1-TSR3 (pSecTag-hTSP1-TSR3) was transiently transfected into Lec1-CHO cells using Geneporter (Gene Therapy Systems) essentially as described previously (12, 30). Following transfection (24 h), the medium was replaced with fresh medium containing 20 µCi/ml [6-3H]fucose. After 48 h, the medium was collected, and the fragments were purified by nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) chromatography as described previously (30). Western blots and fluorography were then performed as described (3). O-Fucose saccharides on the fragments were released by alkali-induced
Production of Recombinant Human TSP1-TSR3 Repeat and O-Fucose Site Mutants in E. coliTSP1-TSR3 was expressed in the BL21(DE3) E. coli strain using the pET20b+-hTSP1-TSR3 vector, and the TSP1-TSR3 protein was partially purified using Ni-NTA-agarose essentially as described previously (25). To identify the properly folded TSP1-TSR3 repeat, a portion of the partially purified TSP1-TSR3 repeat was radiolabeled using detergent-containing extracts of Lec1-CHO cells (source of TSR-specific O-fucosyltransferase) using O-fucosyltransferase assay conditions as described (15, 31). Reverse-phase HPLC was performed to separate the properly folded TSP1-TSR3 repeats from misfolded variants following conditions described in Ref. 25. We have used the same conditions to purify recombinant EGF repeats in the past, and the properly folded form was identified by the presence of [3H]fucose. The remainder of the TSP1-TSR3 repeat was then purified in the same manner on a preparative scale. The final concentration of TSP1-TSR3 was determined by a BCA assay (Pierce). The TSP1-TSR3 repeats containing the T489A mutation were expressed and purified in the same manner. Reduction and alkylation of TSRs were carried out as reported previously (25).
O-Fucosyltransferase AssaysThe POFUT1 assays were performed as described previously (32). The assay for TSR O-fucosyltransferase activity is essentially the same with the POFUT1 assay except that recombinant TSR instead of the EGF repeat was used as acceptor substrate. A typical assay was carried out by incubating 8 µg of recombinant TSR with 0.1 µCi of GDP-[3H]fucose, 50 mM imidazole-HCl (pH 7.0), 50 mM MnCl2, and enzyme sources in a total volume of 50 µlat37 °Cfor 1 h. Product characterization of fucosylated TSRs from the assay was performed as described (15).
Reduction of Endogenous POFUT1 by RNA Interference in HeLa CellsA 21-nucleotide siRNA duplex with 3'-TT (sense strand) and 3'-TC (antisense strand) overhangs corresponding to the human POFUT1 mRNA-translated region (GGAUUUCAUGGAGAAGCUG) was synthesized (Ambion). A "scrambled" siRNA duplex (Ambion) was used as the RNA interference specificity control. The siRNA duplexes were transfected into HeLa cells on 35-mm dishes by using Oligofectamine (Invitrogen) following the manufacturer's protocol. Following transfection (48 h), the media were removed and the cells were washed three times with Tris-buffered saline (10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5, 0.15 M NaCl). The cells on the dishes were then lysed in Tris-buffered saline with 1% (w/v) Nonidet P-40 and protease inhibitor mixtures (Roche). Cell debris were removed by centrifugation. POFUT1 activity and TSR-specific O-fucosyltransferase activity in the supernatants were then determined using the assays as described above.
In Vitro Fucosylation of TSR and Mass Spectrometry AnalysisHPLC purified recombinant TSP1-TSR3 was reconstituted in water to a concentration 0.5 mg/ml. In vitro O-fucosylation reaction was carried out by incubating 0.35 mg of TSP1-TSR3 with 0.6 mM GDP-fucose, 50 mM imidazole-HCl (pH 7.0), 50 mM MnCl2, and 0.25 mg of high speed supernatants of sonicated Lec1-CHO cells in a total volume of 1 ml at 37 °C for 12 h. The reaction was then continued for 4 more h after adding 0.12 mg of fresh Lec1-CHO lysate. Fucosylated TSRs were then re-purified using reverse-phase HPLC as described above. The extent of O-fucosylation was determined by mass spectrometry using direct infusion into an Agilent XCT ion trap mass spectrometer as described previously (29).
Other Methods
Lec1-CHO Cells Possess an Enzymatic Activity Capable of O-Fucosylating the Third TSR of Human Thrombospondin 1We previously described two different elongated forms of O-fucose on proteins isolated from Lec1-CHO cells: the tetrasaccharide, NeuAc- 2,3-Gal- 1,4-GlcNAc- 1,3-Fuc-O-Ser/Thr, and the disaccharide, Glc- 1,3-Fuc 1-O-Ser/Thr (9). Lec1-CHO cells are a convenient model system for the study of O-fucose glycans because they lack N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I and, therefore, cannot synthesize complex or hybid-type N-glycans (34, 35). Because most [3H]fucose becomes metabolically incorporated into complex or hybrid-type N-glycans in wild type CHO cells, Lec1-CHO cells have the advantage that the majority of [3H]fucose is metabolically incorporated into O-fucose glycans (9, 36). At the time of our earlier studies, O-fucose was only known to exist on EGF repeats (2). As a result, we proposed that both the di- and tetrasaccharides would modify EGF repeats. We later discovered that the tetrasaccharide exists on EGF repeats of the Notch1 protein (3). Subsequently, Hofsteenge and co-workers (22, 23) reported an O-linked disaccharide, Glc-Fuc-O-Ser/Thr, on TSR repeats from platelet thrombospondin 1, properdin, recombinant thrombospondin 1-TSRs expressed in insect cells, and recombinant F-spondin expressed in COS1 cells. These results suggested that the Glc- 1,3-Fuc disaccharide found in Lec1-CHO cells may actually exist on TSR repeats, whereas the tetrasaccharide form of O-fucose exist on EGF repeats.
To confirm this speculation, a secreted form of the third TSR of human thrombospondin 1 (TSP1-TSR3) was expressed in Lec1-CHO cells. As a control, the O-fucose site (Thr489) was abolished by site-directed mutagenesis of threonine to alanine. Wild type and mutant constructs were transiently transfected into Lec1-CHO cells, followed by metabolic radiolabeling with [3H]fucose. The secreted wild type and T489A mutants were purified from media by Ni-NTA-agarose and analyzed by Western blot and fluorography. Whereas wild type TSP1-TSR3 protein was radiolabeled with [3H]fucose, the T489A mutant was not (Fig. 1A). To confirm that the fucose was O-linked to the hydroxyl group of Thr489, the O-linked sugars were released from TSP1-TSR3 using alkali-induced Development of an in Vitro Assay for O-Fucosylation on TSP1-TSR3To develop an in vitro assay for the enzymatic activity responsible for O-fucosylating TSRs, we utilized GDP-[3H]fucose as the donor substrate and bacterially expressed recombinant TSP1-TSR3 as the acceptor substrate. The product of the assay was then separated from the unincorporated radiolabel using a C18 cartridge. Using extracts of Lec1-CHO cells as the enzyme source, O-fucosyltransferase activity showed approximately linear dependence with respect to the amount of added TSP1-TSR3. Moreover, a recombinant TSP1-TSR3 with a mutated O-fucosylation site (T489A) did not serve as substrate (Fig. 2A). Thus, bacterially expressed TSP1-TSR3 functions as an acceptor substrate for the Lec1-CHO O-fucosyltransferase in vitro.
Product analysis was performed to demonstrate that TSP1-TSR3 is modified with O-fucose. Reverse-phase HPLC analysis was used to demonstrate that the fucose was covalently associated with TSP1-TSR3 (Fig. 3A). To demonstrate that the monosaccharide fucose was attached through an O-linkage, alkali-induced
POFUT1 Is Not Responsible for O-Fucosylation of TSP1-TSR3POFUT1 is known to add O-fucose to EGF repeats and to be present in Lec1-CHO cells (15). To investigate whether POFUT1 is also responsible for O-fucosylation of TSP1-TSR3, we performed in vitro assays using recombinant human POFUT1 as enzyme source and recombinant, bacterially expressed TSP1-TSR3 and Factor VII EGF1 repeat as substrates. As expected, recombinant POFUT1 was able to O-fucosylate Factor VII EGF1 (Fig. 4A). In contrast, no O-fucosylation of TSP1-TSR3 was detected. This result strongly suggests that TSR O-fucosyltransferase is a distinct enzyme from POFUT1. To add further support to this claim, we knocked down POFUT1 activity in HeLa cells using siRNA (Fig. 4B). Whereas POFUT1 activity in extracts of these cells (measured using factor VII EGF repeat as substrate) is reduced by
The TSR O-Fucosyltransferase Requires Correctly Folded TSP1-TSR3 as SubstratePrevious studies on POFUT1 demonstrated that the EGF repeat needs to be properly folded for the enzyme to recognize the consensus site (14). To examine whether the TSR O-fucosyltransferase also requires a folded substrate, TSP1-TSR3 was denatured in urea, and reduced and alkylated using dithiothreitol and iodoacetamide. Control TSP1-TSR3 was treated with urea but not with dithiothreitol or iodoacetamide. Both were re-purified by reverse-phase HPLC, where the reduced and alkylated form migrated slightly later because of the carboxyamidomethylation (data not shown). Both the native and reduced/alkylated TSP1-TSR3 were analyzed as substrates in the O-fucosyltransferase assay, where only the native TSP1-TSR3 repeat was functional. The reduced and alkylated TSP1-TSR3 did not serve as a substrate (Fig. 2B). These results indicate that like POFUT1, the TSR O-fucosyltransferase requires a correctly folded TSP1-TSR3 repeat for recognition.
Endogenous TSR O-Fucosyltransferase Is a Soluble ProteinRecent studies have revealed that O-fucosyltransferase 1 is a soluble enzyme localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (21, 28). To investigate whether TSR O-fucosyltransferase is a soluble or membrane-bound protein, COS1 cells were disrupted by sonication and subjected to ultracentrifugation to separate soluble (high-speed supernatant) and membrane (high-speed pellet) fractions. The activity of TSR O-fucosyltransferase was assayed in both fractions. The majority of the activity was found in the soluble fraction (Fig. 5A). As a control, we also compared the enzyme activity of a known membrane-bound protein, 4GalT, and found the majority of its activity in the membrane fraction (Fig. 5B). These results strongly suggest that like POFUT1, the TSR O-fucosyltransferase is a soluble protein.
There Is No Cross-talk between EGF Repeat and TSR O-Fucosylation PathwaysThe fact that O-fucose occurs in two contexts, EGF repeats and TSRs, raises the question of whether enzymes capable of modifying O-fucose can do so in either context. The enzymes responsible for modifying O-fucose on EGF repeats and TSRs, the
In this study, we have demonstrated the existence of two distinct O-fucosylation pathways (Fig. 7). One modifies EGF repeats and can extend to the tetrasaccharide NeuAc- 2,3/6-Gal- 1,4-GlcNAc- 1,3-Fuc, whereas the other modifies TSRs in CHO cells and can extend to the disaccharide Glc- 1,3-Fuc. We have also shown that a novel protein O-fucosyltransferase activity is responsible for addition of O-fucose to TSRs. Despite several similar characteristics between this enzymatic activity and POFUT1, we found that the TSR O-fucosyltransferase is not POFUT1. Finally, we determined that there is no cross-talk between the two O-fucosylation pathways. Each of the Fringe enzymes adds GlcNAc to O-fucose on EGF repeats but not to O-fucose on TSRs. Similarly, the fucose-specific 1,3-glucosyltransferase modifies O-fucose on TSRs but not EGF repeats. This confirms our hypothesis that EGF-specific and TSR-specific glycosylation pathways exist (40). These results indicate that all of these enzymes (POFUT1, the Fringe enzymes, TSR O-fucosyltransferase, and fucose-specific 1,3-glucosyltransferase) have the ability to specifically recognize either EGF repeats or TSRs. Although a great deal is known about the function of O-fucose on EGF repeats, little is known about O-fucose on TSRs. To date only a few proteins have been shown to contain O-fucosylated TSRs. By comparing the protein sequence surrounding O-fucose sites, Hofsteenge and co-workers (23) have suggested a putative consensus sequence for TSR O-fucosylation: WX5C1X2-3S/TC2X2G (O-fucose site is underlined, C and C2 are the first and second conserved cysteine of the TSR, and X represents any amino acid) (23). Using this pattern as a query, a search of the Swiss-Prot/TrEMBL data base revealed a number of proteins with potential TSR O-fucose consensus sequences from various species including human, mouse, rat, Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans, and malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (several examples from mouse and human genomes are listed in Table 1). These results suggest that O-fucose may occur on TSR repeats from a variety of proteins across many species.
Recent studies on the role of O-fucose on EGF repeats may provide insights into the potential function for O-fucose on TSRs. The most striking example of the effects of O-fucose on EGF repeats is the Notch signaling pathway. The extracellular domain of Notch consists mainly of 36 tandem EGF repeats, many of which are modified with O-fucose (3). Recent studies have shown that mutation of highly conserved O-fucose sites at EGF repeats 12, 26, and 27 affect mouse Notch1 activation (19). The fact that EGF repeat 12 is known to function in ligand-binding suggests that the fucose may play a role in interaction with ligands (41). Modification of O-fucose with a GlcNAc by Fringe sensitizes Notch to Delta signaling while desensitizing it to Serrate/Jagged signaling (10, 11). Several recent studies suggest that the modification of O-fucose by Fringe directly affects ligand binding (13, 20, 42, 43). These findings indicate that O-fucose modifications on a small cysteine-knot motif can affect receptor-ligand interactions. Similar to EGF repeats, TSRs participate in a wide variety of physiological events (24). Their functions have been most extensively studied in the TSP. Thrombospondins are extracellular matrix glycoproteins involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion (44). Both TSP1 and -2 have three TSRs. The TSRs are known to mediate physical interaction between TSP1 and a variety of receptors, including CD36, heparan sulfate, and fibronectin (24). TSP1 and -2 are known to be inhibitors of tumor growth and angiogenesis (44). Interestingly, the anti-angiogenesis activity appears to be mediated by the interaction of TSRs of TSP1 or -2 with CD36 on endothelial cells (45). This interaction initiates an apoptotic cascade that is responsible for the anti-angiogenic effect (46). Because changes in the structure of O-fucose saccharides on EGF repeats appears to be able to modulate protein-protein interactions in the case of Notch and its ligands (20), it will be very interesting to see if O-fucose on TSR of TSP1 modulates the interaction with CD36.
An interesting aspect of O-fucosylation on TSR repeats is that a glucose can be added in a
* This work was supported by a grant from the Mizutani Foundation for Glycoscience and National Institutes of Health Grant GM 61126. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact. 1 To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel.: 631-632-7336; Fax: 631-632-8575; E-mail: rhaltiwanger{at}ms.cc.sunysb.edu.
2 The abbreviations used are: EGF, epidermal growth factor-like; TSR, thrombospondin type 1 repeat; TSP, thrombospondin; POFUT1, human protein O-fucosyltransferase-1; OFUT1, Drosophila protein O-fucosyltransferase-1 (Drosophila); CHO, Chinese hamster ovary; Gal, galactose; GlcNAc, N-acetylglucosamine; NeuAc, N-acetylneuraminic acid; HPLC, high performance liquid chromatography; Ni-NTA, nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid; siRNA, small interfering RNA.
We thank Dr. Deane Mosher (University of Wisconsin) for provision of the plasmid encoding TSR1-3 from human thrombospondin 1, Dr. Vlad Panin (Texas A&M) and Dr. Pamela Stanley (Albert Einstein College of Medicine) for helpful discussions, and members of the Haltiwanger laboratory for critically reading the manuscript.
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