Schwarzkopf Martina, Knobeloch Klaus-Peter, Rohde Elvira, Hinderlich Stephan, Wiechens Nicola, Lucka Lothar, Horak Ivan, Reutter Werner, Horstkorte Rüdiger
Institut für Molekularbiologie und Biochemie, Fachbereich Humanmedizin, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 22, D-14195 Berlin-Dahlem, Germany.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Apr 16;99(8):5267-70. doi: 10.1073/pnas.072066199. Epub 2002 Apr 2.
Sialic acids are widely expressed as terminal carbohydrates on glycoconjugates of eukaryotic cells. Sialylation is crucial for a variety of cellular functions, such as cell adhesion or signal recognition, and regulates the biological stability of glycoproteins. The key enzyme of sialic acid biosynthesis is the bifunctional UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase (UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase), which catalyzes the first two steps of sialic acid biosynthesis in the cytosol. We report that inactivation of the UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase by gene targeting causes early embryonic lethality in mice, thereby emphasizing the fundamental role of this bifunctional enzyme and sialylation during development. The need of UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase for a defined sialylation process is exemplified with the polysialylation of the neural cell adhesion molecule in embryonic stem cells.
唾液酸作为真核细胞糖缀合物上的末端碳水化合物广泛表达。唾液酸化对于多种细胞功能至关重要,如细胞黏附或信号识别,并调节糖蛋白的生物稳定性。唾液酸生物合成的关键酶是双功能UDP-N-乙酰葡糖胺-2-表异构酶/N-乙酰甘露糖胺激酶(UDP-GlcNAc 2-表异构酶),它在细胞质中催化唾液酸生物合成的前两个步骤。我们报道,通过基因靶向使UDP-GlcNAc 2-表异构酶失活会导致小鼠早期胚胎致死,从而强调了这种双功能酶和唾液酸化在发育过程中的基本作用。胚胎干细胞中神经细胞黏附分子的多唾液酸化例证了UDP-GlcNAc 2-表异构酶对特定唾液酸化过程的需求。