Researchers have uncovered how a structure in bodily carbohydrates (sugar chains or “glycans”) that regulates how they attach themselves to other molecules interacts with key enzymes, and in so doing can contribute to a range of diseases.
One of the most essential bodily biochemical processes involves carbohydrates (sugan chains or “glycans”) attaching themselves to proteins and fats (lipids), and when this process malfunctions, the risk of contracting a raft of diseases sharply increases. Researchers have recently discovered how a crucial enzyme’s interaction with a small structure in glycans during this attachment can contribute to such breakdowns.
Their findings are described in a paper published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry on June 4th, 2024.
News Release for this research: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1049514
【Paper Information】
Yuko Tokoro, Masamichi Nagae, Miyako Nakano, Anne Harduin-Lepers, Yasuhiko Kizuka.
LacdiNAc synthase B4GALNT3 has a unique PA14 domain and suppresses N-glycan capping.
Journal of Biological Chemistry, Volume 300, Issue 7, 2024, 107450.
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