title: Requirement of tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase-A for proper cuticle formation in the nematode C. elegans.
abstract: Tyrosine O-sulfation is one of the post-translational modification processes that occur to membrane proteins and secreted proteins in eukaryotes. Tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase (TPST) is responsible for this modification, and in this report, we describe the expression pattern and the biological role of TPST-A in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that TPST-A was mainly expressed in the hypodermis, especially in the seam cells. Reduction of TPST-A activity by RNAi caused severe defects in cuticle formation, indicating that TPST-A is involved in the cuticle formation in the nematode. We found that RNAi of TPST-A suppressed the roller phenotype caused by mutations in the rol-6 collagen gene, suggesting that sulfation of collagen proteins may be important for proper organization of the extracellular cuticle matrix. The TPST-A RNAi significantly decreased the dityrosine level in the worms, raising the possibility that the sulfation process may be a pre-requisite for the collagen tyrosine cross-linking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Tai Hoon
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soon Baek
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Pan-Young
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Junho
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jin Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D003094:Collagen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D040521:Subcutaneous Tissue / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D015238:Sulfotransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; C098282:rol-6 protein, C elegans; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D014443:Tyrosine; D003094:Collagen; C007543:dityrosine; D015238:Sulfotransferases; C512780:tpst-1 protein, C elegans