Biosynthesis of human-type N-glycans in heterologous systems.
Insects, yeasts and plants generate widely different N-glycans, the structures of which differ significantly from those produced by mammals. The processing of the initial Glc2Man9GlcNAc2 oligosaccharide to Man8GlcNAc2 in the endoplasmic reticulum shows significant similarities among these species and with mammals, whereas very different processing events occur in the Golgi compartments. For example, yeasts can add 50 or even more Man residues to Man(8-9)GlcNAc2, whereas insect cells typically remove most or all Man residues to generate paucimannosidic Man(3-1)GlcNAc2N-glycans. Plant cells also remove Man residues to yield Man(4-5)GlcNAc2, with occasional complex GlcNAc or Gal modifications, but often add potentially allergenic beta(1,2)-linked Xyl and, together with insect cells, core alpha(1,3)-linked Fuc residues. However, genomic efforts, such as expression of exogenous glycosyltransferases, have revealed more complex processing capabilities in these hosts that are not usually observed in native cell lines. In addition, metabolic engineering efforts undertaken to modify insect, yeast and plant N-glycan processing pathways have yielded sialylated complex-type N-glycans in insect cells, and galactosylated N-glycans in yeasts and plants, indicating that cell lines can be engineered to produce mammalian-like glycoproteins of potential therapeutic value.
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.
Michael J
MJ
Betenbaugh
Noboru
N
Tomiya
Someet
S
Narang
John Ta
JT
Hsu
Yuan C
YC
Lee
D000818:Animals; D002384:Catalysis; D006801:Humans; D007313:Insecta / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015003:Yeasts / Q000378:metabolism
D011134:Polysaccharides