Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Han Wu, Asif Shajahan, Jeong-Yeh Yang, Emanuela Capota, Amberlyn M. Wands, Connie M. Arthur, Sean R. Stowell, Kelley W. Moremen, Parastoo Azadi, Jennifer J. Kohler
Summary: This study describes a metabolic method to introduce a photo-cross-linker onto GlcNAc residues of cell-surface N-linked glycoproteins, which can be used to discover and characterize binding interactions that depend on N-glycans.
CELL CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Angel Fenollar, Albert Ros-Lucas, Maria Pia Alberione, Nieves Martinez-Peinado, Miriam Ramirez, Miguel Angel Rosales-Motos, Ling Y. Lee, Julio Alonso-Padilla, Luis Izquierdo
Summary: This study investigates the effects of specific inhibitors on the growth of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and validates metabolic pathways as potential therapeutic targets. Docking simulations provide insights into the modes of action of these inhibitors. The results highlight GPI biosynthesis and N-glycosylation pathways as promising targets for anti-malarial treatments.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Heng Ma, Xianlong Chen, Shengwei Mo, Yue Zhang, Xinxin Mao, Jingci Chen, Yilin Liu, Wei-Min Tong, Zhaohui Lu, Shuangni Yu, Jie Chen
Summary: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly fatal malignancy due to aberrant protein glycosylation and resistance to death. This study explores the crosstalk between glycosylation and ferroptosis in PDAC, and identifies the role of 4F2hc glycosylation in ferroptosis. Targeting the vulnerabilities of glycosylation and ferroptosis may be a potential therapeutic strategy for PDAC.
CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Erika Staudacher
Summary: Molluscs exhibit a highly diverse N-glycan pattern on their proteins, surpassing even that of vertebrates in terms of structural features. This review outlines the current understanding of mollusc N-glycan structures, with a focus on the functional significance of the corresponding glycoproteins. Additionally, it discusses the potential medical applications of biomolecules derived from molluscs, highlighting the significance of mollusc research.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marta Pozniak, Dominika Zukowska, Aleksandra Gedaj, Mateusz Adam Krzyscik, Natalia Porebska, Malgorzata Zakrzewska, Jacek Otlewski, Lukasz Opalinski
Summary: Precise anticancer therapies using cytotoxic conjugates offer a highly attractive alternative to conventional treatment modalities. This study evaluates the significance of N-glycosylation for the internalization and toxicity of conjugates targeting HER2 and FGFR1, and demonstrates that alteration of N-glycosylation can affect the cytotoxic potential of the conjugates.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Simona Campora, Reham Mohsen, Daniel Passaro, Howida Samir, Hesham Ashraf, Saif El-Din Al-Mofty, Ayman A. Diab, Ibrahim M. El-Sherbiny, Martin J. Snowden, Giulio Ghersi
Summary: The study successfully utilized a novel design of p(NIPAM) microgels to specifically target cancer cells while avoiding healthy cells, leading to successful drug release. Through a series of experiments and analyses, the feasibility and effectiveness of this approach were confirmed.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
David Teze, Joan Coines, Folmer Fredslund, Kshatresh D. Dubey, Gonzalo N. Bidart, Paul D. Adams, John E. Dueber, Birte Svensson, Carme Rovira, Ditte H. Welner
Summary: The study found that UGT1 from Polygonum tinctorium can catalyze N-, O-, or S-glycosylation with similar rates, and elucidated the molecular basis of N-, O-, and S-specificities using experimental mutagenesis and simulations. It also showed that the active site can be engineered to increase or favor one of the three glycosylation activities over another, leading to the design of more active and specific enzyme variants for glycoside production.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Zishuai An, Bing Cao, Junzhe Zhang, Baihong Zhang, Chengqian Zhou, Xianglong Hu, Wenli Chen
Summary: Nanomaterials have been widely studied for their potential to become the new generation of nanocarriers in gene transfection. This study focuses on the application of Poly (2-(N,N-dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) as a gene carrier in plant cells. The results show that PDMAEMA has the ability to efficiently deliver DNA in plant cells with lower cytotoxicity compared to polyethylenimine (PEI). This work provides new ideas and more effective methods for plant transformation.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Idalio J. Viegas, Juan Pereira de Macedo, Lucia Serra, Mariana De Niz, Adriana Temporao, Sara Silva Pereira, Aashiq H. Mirza, Ed Bergstrom, Joao A. Rodrigues, Francisco Aresta-Branco, Samie R. Jaffrey, Luisa M. Figueiredo
Summary: RNA modifications play an important role in gene expression regulation. In Trypanosoma brucei, the m(6)A modification is enriched in transcripts encoding variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs), particularly in the poly(A) tail of actively expressed VSG transcripts. Removal of a 16-mer motif in the 3' untranslated region of VSG genes leads to a loss of m(6)A in the poly(A) tail, resulting in rapid deadenylation and mRNA degradation. This study identifies the first RNA modification in the poly(A) tail of any eukaryote, shedding light on a post-transcriptional mechanism of gene regulation.
Article
Cell Biology
Philip Schmassmann, Julien Roux, Alicia Buck, Nazanin Tatari, Sabrina Hogan, Jinyu Wang, Natalia Rodrigues Mantuano, Ronja Wieboldt, Sohyon Lee, Berend Snijder, Deniz Kaymak, Tomas A. Martins, Marie-Francoise Ritz, Tala Shekarian, Marta McDaid, Michael Weller, Tobias Weiss, Heinz Laeubli, Gregor Hutter
Summary: This study found that high expression of sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin 9 (Siglec-9) is associated with reduced survival in patients with glioblastoma (GBM). Through specific knockouts of Siglec-E and single-cell RNA sequencing, the researchers demonstrated that Siglec-E inhibits phagocytosis by microglia- and monocyte-derived cells, promoting immune evasion. Loss of Siglec-E on monocyte-derived cells enhanced antigen cross-presentation and pro-inflammatory cytokine production, resulting in improved T cell priming. The combination of innate and adaptive immune responses delayed tumor growth and prolonged survival in murine models of GBM. Furthermore, the study showed the potential for targeting Siglec-9 as a treatment for GBM through the combination with other immunotherapies.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Miloslav Sanda, Lindsay Morrison, Radoslav Goldman
Summary: The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has caused the current global health crisis, prompting the need for detailed studies on SARS-CoV-2 proteins to develop effective antiviral compounds and vaccines. The glycosylation of the spike (S) protein plays a significant role in its proteolytic activation, expanding the current knowledge in this area.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
James W. Dressman, Colin T. McDowell, Xiaowei Lu, Peggi M. Angel, Richard R. Drake, Anand S. Mehta
Summary: N-linked glycosylation plays a crucial role in immune response and cell-to-cell interactions. The current analytical techniques for studying immune cell N-glycosylation have limitations in throughput, structural information, starting materials, and cell purification. This study proposes a rapid antibody array-based approach coupled with MALDI-IMS for analyzing cellular N-glycosylation, which provides a valuable tool for glycoimmunology research and clinical applications.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ting Wang, Li Liu, Josef Voglmeir
Summary: Monoclonal antibodies have been successful in treating diseases, with recent research focused on the functional role and production methods of antibody N-glycosylation.
CARBOHYDRATE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hirofumi Endo, Masaharu Ochi, Md Azadur Rahman, Tomoaki Hamada, Takahiro Kawano, Toshiki Nokami
Summary: Unnatural cyclic oligosaccharides composed of N-acetylglucosamine with alpha-1,4-glycosidic linkages have been successfully synthesized using electrochemical synthesis. The study also demonstrated that this method can be utilized for the isomerization of linear oligosaccharides and intramolecular glycosylation for cyclization.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zsuzsanna Kovacs, Fiona Reidy, Louise Glover, Fionnuala M. McAuliffe, Henning Stockmann, Mark T. Kilbane, Patrick J. Twomey, Maire Peters, Merli Saare, Pauline M. Rudd, Meeme Utt, Mary Wingfield, Andres Salumets, Radka Saldova
Summary: Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory gynaecological disease characterized by the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. This study investigates the changes in N-glycans from whole serum glycoproteins associated with endometriosis. The results show significant alterations in glycan profiles in patients with endometriosis compared to control cases, suggesting the potential of using glycosylation as a diagnostic tool for endometriosis.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)