title: N-glycans harboring the Lewis a epitope are expressed at the surface of plant cells.
abstract: In plants, N-linked glycans are processed in the Golgi apparatus to complex-type N-glycans of limited size containing a beta(1,2)-xylose and/or an alpha(1,3)-fucose residue. Larger mono- and bi-antennary N-linked complex glycans have not often been described. This study has re-examined the structure of such plant N-linked glycans, and, through both immunological and structural data, it is shown that the antennae are composed of Lewis a (Le(a)) antigens, comprising the carbohydrate sequence Gal beta 1-3[Fuc alpha 1-4]GlcNAc. Furthermore, a fucosyltransferase activity involved in the biosynthesis of this antigen was detected in sycamore cells. This is the first characterization in plants of a Lewis antigen that is usually found on cell-surface glycoconjugates in mammals and involved in recognition and adhesion processes. Le(a)-containing N-linked glycans are widely distributed in plants and highly expressed at the cell surface, which may suggest a putative function in cell/cell communication.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Transports Intracellulaires, ESA-CNRS 6037, Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, Mont Saint Aignan, France.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Fitchette-Lainé
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gomord
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cabanes
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Michalski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saint Macary
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Foucher
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cavelier
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hawes
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lerouge
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Faye
mesh_terms: D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016256:Lewis X Antigen / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000737:chemistry; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014197:Trees / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D016256:Lewis X Antigen; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D011134:Polysaccharides