Spatial position is a key determinant of N-glycan functionality of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain of human hepsin.

The scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) domain is a key constituent in diverse proteins. N-glycosylation is important in protein expression and function. In the SRCR domain of different proteins, N-glycosylation sites and functionality vary substantially. In this study, we examined the importance of N-glycosylation site positions in the SRCR domain of hepsin, a type II transmembrane serine protease involved in many pathophysiological processes. We analysed hepsin mutants with alternative N-glycosylation sites in the SRCR and protease domains using three-dimensional modelling, site-directed mutagenesis, HepG2 cell expression, immunostaining, and western blotting. We found that the N-glycan function in the SRCR domain in promoting hepsin expression and activation on the cell surface cannot be replaced by alternatively created N-glycans in the protease domain. Within the SRCR domain, the presence of an N-glycan in a confined surface area was essential for calnexin-assisted protein folding, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) exiting, and zymogen activation of hepsin on the cell surface. Hepsin mutants with alternative N-glycosylation sites on the opposite side of the SRCR domain were trapped by ER chaperones, resulting in the activation of the unfolded protein response in HepG2 cells. These results indicate that the spatial N-glycan positioning in the SRCR domain is a key determinant in the interaction with calnexin and subsequent cell surface expression of hepsin. These findings may help to understand the conservation and functionality of N-glycosylation sites in the SRCR domains of different proteins.