Glycosyltransferases (GTs) are ubiquitous enzymes that catalyze the assembly of glycoconjugates found throughout all kingdoms of nature. A longstanding problem is the rational design of probes that can be used to manipulate GT activity in cells and tissues. Here we describe the rational design and synthesis of a nucleotide sugar analogue that inhibits, with high potency both in vitro and in cells, the human GT responsible for the reversible post-translational modification of nucleocytoplasmic proteins with O-linked N-acetylglucosamine residues (O-GlcNAc). We show the enzymes of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway can transform, both in vitro and in cells, a synthetic carbohydrate precursor into the nucleotide sugar analogue. Treatment of cells with the precursor decreases O-GlcNAc in a targeted manner with a single digit micromolar EC50. This approach to inhibition of GTs should be applicable to other members of this increasingly interesting superfamily of enzymes and enable their manipulation in a biological setting.
N-Acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification of proteins provides a mechanism for the control of diverse cellular processes through a dynamic interplay with phosphorylation. UDP-GlcNAc:polypeptidyl transferase (OGT) catalyzes O-GlcNAc addition. The structure of an intact OGT homolog and kinetic analysis of human OGT variants reveal a contiguous superhelical groove that directs substrates to the active site.
The
modification of proteins with O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) by the enzyme O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) has emerged as an important regulator
of cellular physiology. Metabolic labeling strategies to monitor O-GlcNAcylation in cells have proven of great value for
uncovering the molecular roles of O-GlcNAc. These
strategies rely on two-step labeling procedures, which limits the
scope of experiments that can be performed. Here, we report on the
creation of fluorescent uridine 5′-diphospho-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) analogues in which the N-acyl group of glucosamine is modified with a suitable linker and
fluorophore. Using human OGT, we show these donor sugar substrates
permit direct monitoring of OGT activity on protein substrates in
vitro. We show that feeding cells with a corresponding fluorescent
metabolic precursor for the last step of the hexosamine biosynthetic
pathway (HBP) leads to its metabolic assimilation and labeling of O-GlcNAcylated proteins within live cells. This one-step
metabolic feeding strategy permits labeling of O-GlcNAcylated
proteins with a fluorescent glucosamine-nitrobenzoxadiazole (GlcN-NBD)
conjugate that accumulates in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Because
no genetic engineering of cells is required, we anticipate this strategy
should be generally amenable to studying the roles of O-GlcNAc in cellular physiology as well as to gain an improved understanding
of the regulation of OGT within cells. The further expansion of this
one-step in-cell labeling strategy should enable performing a range
of experiments including two-color pulse chase experiments and monitoring
OGT activity on specific protein substrates in live cells.
Deficiency of the lysosomal glycoside hydrolase glucocerebrosidase (GCase) leads to abnormal accumulation of glucosyl ceramide in lysosomes and the development of the lysosomal storage disease known as Gaucher's disease. More recently, mutations in the GBA1 gene that encodes GCase have been uncovered as a major genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD). Current therapeutic strategies to increase GCase activity in lysosomes involve enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) and molecular chaperone therapy. One challenge associated with developing and optimizing these therapies is the difficulty in determining levels of GCase activity present within the lysosomes of live cells. Indeed, visualizing the activity of endogenous levels of any glycoside hydrolases, including GCase, has proven problematic within live mammalian cells. Here we describe the successful modular design and synthesis of fluorescence-quenched substrates for GCase. The selection of a suitable fluorophore and quencher pair permits the generation of substrates that allow convenient time-dependent monitoring of endogenous GCase activity within cells as well as localization of activity within lysosomes. These efficiently quenched (∼99.9%) fluorescent substrates also permit assessment of GCase inhibition in live cells by either confocal microscopy or high content imaging. Such substrates should enable improved understanding of GCase in situ as well the optimization of small-molecule chaperones for this enzyme. These findings also suggest routes to generate fluorescence-quenched substrates for other mammalian glycoside hydrolases for use in live cell imaging.
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