title: Molecular cloning of brain-specific GD1alpha synthase (ST6GalNAc V) containing CAG/Glutamine repeats.
abstract: A novel member of the mouse CMP-NeuAc: beta-N-acetylgalactosaminide alpha2,6-sialyltransferase (ST6GalNAc) subfamily, designated ST6GalNAc V, was identified by BLAST analysis of expressed sequence tags. The sequence of the longest cDNA clone of ST6GalNAc V encoded a type II membrane protein with 8 amino acids comprising the cytoplasmic domain, 21 amino acids comprising the transmembrane region, and 306 amino acids comprising the catalytic domain. The predicted amino acid sequence showed homology to the previously cloned ST6GalNAc III and IV, with common amino acid sequences in sialyl motifs L and S among these three enzymes. Eleven CAG repeats were found in the stem region. A fusion protein with protein A and extracts from L cells transfected with ST6GalNAc V in a expression vector showed enzyme activity of alpha2,6-sialyltransferase almost exclusively for GM1b, but not toward glycoproteins. Sialidase treatment and thin layer chromatography immunostaining revealed that the product was GD1alpha. Northern blotting revealed that three transcripts of the gene were expressed specifically in brain tissues. It is concluded that this enzyme is involved in the synthesis of GD1alpha in the nervous tissues, and the CAG repeats may have implications in neurodegenerative diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry II, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Tsurumai, Nagoya 466-0065, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okajima
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukumoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiso
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirabayashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Urano
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Furukawa
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002645:Chickens; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D005973:Glutamine; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D020449:Repetitive Sequences, Amino Acid; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012799:Sialyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D018911:Trinucleotide Repeats
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D005973:Glutamine; C098871:Neu5Ac N-acetylgalactosamine 2,6-sialyltransferase; D012799:Sialyltransferases; C400189:brain-specific GD1alpha synthase, ST6GalNAc V; C485573:ST6GALNAC4 protein, human; C118899:Siat7d protein, mouse