Snapshots into the process of protein glycosylation

“糖链的生物合成是细胞生物学中最不被理解的过程之一。糖链不是直接编码在基因组中，而是通过250多种糖基转移酶的组合相互作用而生物合成的。这种相互作用产生了人们刚刚开始了解的极其复杂的多聚糖。为了描述糖的生物合成是如何协调的，需要一些方法来了解糖基转移酶之间的功能相互作用。在这里，我们将开发化学工具来跟踪活细胞中单个糖基转移酶的活动。这些工具将允许深入了解引入作为最丰富和复杂的蛋白质修饰之一的葡聚糖的酶。分子细胞生物学、质谱学和成像的尖端方法将共同揭示酶在分泌途径中的相互作用。

"Glycan biosynthesis is one of the least understood processes in cell biology. Glycans are not directly encoded in the genome but biosynthesised by the combinatorial interplay of more than 250 glycosyltransferases. This interplay generates a vast complexity of glycans that is only beginning to be understood. To delineate how glycan biosynthesis is coordinated, methods are needed to inform on the functional interplay between glycosyltransferases.Here, we will develop chemical tools as traceable reporters for the activities of individual glycosyltransferases in the living cell. These tools will allow insight into the enzymes that introduce glycans as one of the most abundant and complex protein modifications. Cutting-edge methods of molecular cell biology, mass spectrometry and imaging will collectively reveal the interplay of enzymes in the secretory pathway."