Structural basis for Lewis antigen synthesis by the α1,3-fucosyltransferase FUT9.

Mammalian cell surface and secreted glycoproteins exhibit remarkable glycan structural diversity that contributes to numerous physiological and pathogenic interactions. Terminal glycan structures include Lewis antigens synthesized by a collection of α1,3/4-fucosyltransferases (CAZy GT10 family). At present, the only available crystallographic structure of a GT10 member is that of the Helicobacter pylori α1,3-fucosyltransferase, but mammalian GT10 fucosyltransferases are distinct in sequence and substrate specificity compared with the bacterial enzyme. Here, we determined crystal structures of human FUT9, an α1,3-fucosyltransferase that generates Lewisx and Lewisy antigens, in complex with GDP, acceptor glycans, and as a FUT9-donor analog-acceptor Michaelis complex. The structures reveal substrate specificity determinants and allow prediction of a catalytic model supported by kinetic analyses of numerous active site mutants. Comparisons with other GT10 fucosyltransferases and GT-B fold glycosyltransferases provide evidence for modular evolution of donor- and acceptor-binding sites and specificity for Lewis antigen synthesis among mammalian GT10 fucosyltransferases.

Cryo-EM structure of influenza virus RNA polymerase complex at 4.3 Å resolution.

Replication and transcription of influenza virus genome mainly depend on its RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), composed of the PA, PB1, and PB2 subunits. Although extensively studied, the underlying mechanism of the RdRP complex is still unclear. Here we report the biochemical characterization of influenza RdRP subcomplex comprising PA, PB1, and N terminus of PB2, which exist as dimer in solution and can assemble into a tetramer state, regulated by vRNA promoter. Using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, we have reconstructed the RdRP tetramer complex at 4.3 Å, highlighting the assembly and interfaces between monomers within the tetrameric structure. The individual RdRP subcomplex contains all the characterized motifs and appears as a cage-like structure. High-throughput mutagenesis profiling revealed that residues involved in the oligomer state formation are critical for viral life cycle. Our results lay a solid base for understanding the mechanism of replication of influenza and other negative-stranded RNA viruses.

Appropriate aglycone modification significantly expands the glycan substrate acceptability of α1,6-fucosyltransferase (FUT8).

The α1,6-fucosyltransferase, FUT8, is the sole enzyme catalyzing the core-fucosylation of N-glycoproteins in mammalian systems. Previous studies using free N-glycans as acceptor substrates indicated that a terminal ß1,2-GlcNAc moiety on the Man-α1,3-Man arm of N-glycan substrates is required for efficient FUT8-catalyzed core-fucosylation. In contrast, we recently demonstrated that, in a proper protein context, FUT8 could also fucosylate Man5GlcNAc2 without a GlcNAc at the non-reducing end. We describe here a further study of the substrate specificity of FUT8 using a range of N-glycans containing different aglycones. We found that FUT8 could fucosylate most of high-mannose and complex-type N-glycans, including highly branched N-glycans from chicken ovalbumin, when the aglycone moiety is modified with a 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) moiety or in a suitable peptide/protein context, even if they lack the terminal GlcNAc moiety on the Man-α1,3-Man arm. FUT8 could also fucosylate paucimannose structures when they are on glycoprotein substrates. Such core-fucosylated paucimannosylation is a prominent feature of lysosomal proteins of human neutrophils and several types of cancers. We also found that sialylation of N-glycans significantly reduced their activity as a substrate of FUT8. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that Fmoc aglycone modification could either improve the turnover rate or decrease the KM value depending on the nature of the substrates, thus significantly enhancing the overall efficiency of FUT8 catalyzed fucosylation. Our results indicate that an appropriate aglycone context of N-glycans could significantly broaden the acceptor substrate specificity of FUT8 beyond what has previously been thought.

Characterizing human α-1,6-fucosyltransferase (FUT8) substrate specificity and structural similarities with related fucosyltransferases.

Mammalian Asn-linked glycans are extensively processed as they transit the secretory pathway to generate diverse glycans on cell surface and secreted glycoproteins. Additional modification of the glycan core by α-1,6-fucose addition to the innermost GlcNAc residue (core fucosylation) is catalyzed by an α-1,6-fucosyltransferase (FUT8). The importance of core fucosylation can be seen in the complex pathological phenotypes of FUT8 null mice, which display defects in cellular signaling, development, and subsequent neonatal lethality. Elevated core fucosylation has also been identified in several human cancers. However, the structural basis for FUT8 substrate specificity remains unknown.Here, using various crystal structures of FUT8 in complex with a donor substrate analog, and with four distinct glycan acceptors, we identify the molecular basis for FUT8 specificity and activity. The ordering of three active site loops corresponds to an increased occupancy for bound GDP, suggesting an induced-fit folding of the donor-binding subsite. Structures of the various acceptor complexes were compared with kinetic data on FUT8 active site mutants and with specificity data from a library of glycan acceptors to reveal how binding site complementarity and steric hindrance can tune substrate affinity. The FUT8 structure was also compared with other known fucosyltransferases to identify conserved and divergent structural features for donor and acceptor recognition and catalysis. These data provide insights into the evolution of modular templates for donor and acceptor recognition among GT-B fold glycosyltransferases in the synthesis of diverse glycan structures in biological systems.

A Novel Transgenic Mouse Line for Tracing MicroRNA-155-5p Activity In Vivo.

MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) plays significant role in various physiological processes involving both innate and adaptive immunity. miR-155 expression level changes dynamically during various immune responses. However, current approaches for miR-155 detection at the RNA level do not precisely reflect the real-time activity. Herein, we generated a transgenic mouse line (R26-DTR-155T) for determination of miR-155-5p activity in vivo by inserting miR-155-5p target sequence downstream of a reporter transgene comprising Diphtheria Toxin Receptor and TagBlue fluorescence protein. Using this approach, R26-DTR-155T mice were able to measure variation in levels of miR-155-5p activity in specific cell types of interest. The DTR expression levels were inversely correlated with the endogenous miR-155 expression pattern as detected by quantitative RT-PCR. Our data demonstrate a novel transgenic mouse line which could be useful for tracing miR-155-5p activity in specific cell types through measurement of miR-155-5p activity at single cell level.

A Rat Basophilic Leukaemia cell sensor for the detection of pathogenic viruses.

A Rat Basophilic Leukemia (RBL) cell sensor is developed for the detection and identification of pathogenic viruses. Recombinant sdAb-Fc antibodies were constructed by linking virus-specific single domain antibody to mouse IgE-Fc fragment. The sdAb-Fc can bind to FcεRI receptors on RBL cells and can be cross-linked by target viruses leading to cell activation and Ca(2+) influx reflected by the increase of intracellular fluorescence. The responses of RBL cells to viruses in real time could be observed using fluorescence microscopy. 10(3) TCID50 of H5N1 viruses and 10 LD50 of rabies viruses could be detected in less than three minutes. An excess quantity of non-relevant viruses did not interfere with the recognition of target viruses.

Retargeting T cells for HER2-positive tumor killing by a bispecific Fv-Fc antibody.

To exploit the biological and pharmacological properties of immunoglobulin constant domain Fc fragment and increase the killing efficacy of T cells, a single chain variable fragment specific to CD3 was fused with Fcab (Fc antigen binding), a mutant Fc fragment with specificity against Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) developed by F-star. The bispecific fusion named as FcabCD3 was expressed by transient transfection in HEK-293T cells and purified by affinity chromatography. Specific cytolytic activity of retargeted T cells to kill HER2 positive SKBR3 cell line was evaluated in vitro. FcabCD3 was able to retarget T cells to kill both Herceptin insensitive Colo205-luc cell line and HER2 low expression MDA-MB-231-luc cell line. Furthermore, FcabCD3 was effective in eliminating the Colo205 tumor established on BALB/c nu/nu mice.

Single domain antibody multimers confer protection against rabies infection.

Post-exposure prophylactic (PEP) neutralizing antibodies against Rabies are the most effective way to prevent infection-related fatality. The outer envelope glycoprotein of the Rabies virus (RABV) is the most significant surface antigen for generating virus-neutralizing antibodies. The small size and uncompromised functional specificity of single domain antibodies (sdAbs) can be exploited in the fields of experimental therapeutic applications for infectious diseases through formatting flexibilities to increase their avidity towards target antigens. In this study, we used phage display technique to select and identify sdAbs that were specific for the RABV glycoprotein from a naïve llama-derived antibody library. To increase their neutralizing potencies, the sdAbs were fused with a coiled-coil peptide derived from the human cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP48) to form homogenous pentavalent multimers, known as combodies. Compared to monovalent sdAbs, the combodies, namely 26424 and 26434, exhibited high avidity and were able to neutralize 85-fold higher input of RABV (CVS-11 strain) pseudotypes in vitro, as a result of multimerization, while retaining their specificities for target antigen. 26424 and 26434 were capable of neutralizing CVS-11 pseudotypes in vitro by 90-95% as compared to human rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG), currently used for PEP in Rabies. The multimeric sdAbs were also demonstrated to be partially protective for mice that were infected with lethal doses of rabies virus in vivo. The results demonstrate that the combodies could be valuable tools in understanding viral mechanisms, diagnosis and possible anti-viral candidate for RABV infection.