GDP-fucose: beta-N-acetylglucosamine (Fuc to (Fuc alpha 1----6GlcNAc)-Asn-peptide)alpha 1----3-fucosyltransferase activity in honeybee (Apis mellifica) venom glands. The difucosylation of asparagine-bound N-acetylglucosamine

Eur J Biochem. 1991 Aug 1;199(3):745-51. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1991.tb16179.x.

Abstract

Incubation of honeybee (Apis mellifica) venom-gland extracts with GDP-[14C]fucose and GlcNAc beta 1----2Man alpha 1----6(GlcNAc beta 1----2Man alpha 1----3)Man beta 1----4GlcNAc beta 1----4(Fuc alpha 1----6)GlcNAc beta 1----N-Asn-peptide(NAc) gave a labeled product in 40% yield. Analysis by 500-MHz 1H-NMR spectroscopy indicated the transferred fucose-(Fuc) residue to be alpha 1----3-linked to the Asn-bound GlcNAc. Further proof was provided by one-dimensional and two-dimensional 1H-NMR analysis of the incubation mixture, after incubation with beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase. The established carbohydrate structure (formula; see text) proves the existence of a novel alpha 1----3-fucosyltransferase with the ability to effect difucosylation of the Asn-bound GlcNAc in N-glycans.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetylglucosamine / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Bee Venoms
  • Bees / enzymology*
  • Carbohydrate Conformation
  • Carbohydrate Sequence
  • Fucosyltransferases / isolation & purification
  • Fucosyltransferases / metabolism*
  • Guanosine Diphosphate Fucose / metabolism
  • Kinetics
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / methods
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Substrate Specificity

Substances

  • Bee Venoms
  • Guanosine Diphosphate Fucose
  • Fucosyltransferases
  • galactoside 3-fucosyltransferase
  • Acetylglucosamine