title: Differentiative changes in fucosyltransferase activity in newborn rat epidermal cells.
abstract: An enzymatic activity catalyzing the transfer of L-fucose from GDP-L-fucose to a glycoprotein that is associated with the surfaces of the basal cells has been found in the membranous fraction of the cutaneous epidermis from the newborn rat. This fucosyltransferase which is located in the differentiated cells alters the acceptor glycoprotein's lectin-binding specificity from the Isolectin I-B4 of Griffonia simplicifolia (GS I-B4) to the Agglutinin I of Ulex europeus (UEA) and could be responsible for the same change in lectin-binding specificity that occurs as the epidermal basal cell differentiates. Another membraneous fucosyltransferase that can use asialofetuin--but not the GS I-B4-binding glycoprotein--as an acceptor, is also present in the membraneous fraction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Industrial Health, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-2029.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Bernstein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002458:Cell Fractionation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000201:enzymology*; D005647:Fucosyltransferases / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D005647:Fucosyltransferases