Glycosyltransferases are specific enzymes that catalyse the transfer of monosaccharide moieties to biological substrates, including proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. These enzymes are present from prokaryotes to humans, and their glycoconjugate products are often vital for survival of the organism. Many glycosyltransferases found in fungal pathogens such as Cryptococcus neoformans do not exist in mammalian systems, making them attractive potential targets for selectively toxic agents. In this article, we present the features of this diverse class of enzymes, and review the fungal glycosyltransferases that are involved in synthesis of the cell wall, the cryptococcal capsule, glycoproteins and glycolipids. We specifically focus on enzymes that have been identified or studied in C. neoformans, and we consider future directions for research on glycosyltransferases in the context of this opportunistic pathogen.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1567-1364.2006.00054.x | DOI Listing |
Int J Biol Sci
January 2025
Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Dysregulated energy metabolism, particularly lipid metabolism disorders, has been identified as a key factor in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) is a deacetylase involved in the regulation of metabolism and cellular energy homeostasis, yet its role in the progression of DCM remains unclear. We observed significantly reduced SIRT2 expression in DCM model mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
McColl-Lockwood Laboratory for Muscular Dystrophy Research, Carolinas Medical Center, Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute, 1000 Blythe Blvd. , Charlotte, NC, 28231, USA.
Dystroglycanopathy is characterized by reduced or lack of matriglycan, a cellular receptor for laminin as well as other extracellular matrix proteins. Recent studies have delineated the glycan chain structure of the matriglycan and the pathway with key components identified. FKRP functions as ribitol-5-phosphate transferase with CDP-ribitol as the substrate for the extension of the glycan chain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbohydr Res
December 2024
School of Pharmacy and Medical Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, 4222, Australia; Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland, 4222, Australia. Electronic address:
Moraxella lincolnii is a Gram-negative bacterium that resides in the upper respiratory tract (URT) of humans and may have a role as a member of a protective microbial community. Structural characterisation studies of its outer membrane glycan structures are very limited. We report here the isolation and structural characterisation (NMR, GLC-MS) of a capsular polysaccharide (CPS) and an oligosaccharide (OS) (lipooligosaccharide (LOS)-derived) isolated from strain CCUG 52988.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer Rep (Hoboken)
January 2025
Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Chouaïb Doukkali, El Jadida, Morocco.
Background: The Ets-1 transcription factor plays a primordial role in regulating the expression of numerous genes implicated in cancer progression. In a previous study, we revealed that poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) inhibition by PJ-34 results in Ets-1 level increase in cells, which is related with cell death of Ets-1-expressing cancer cells.
Aims: The mechanism of the antitumor effect of PARP-1 inhibition was investigated in the Ets-1-expressing MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
PLoS One
January 2025
Department of Biophysics, School of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a devastating autoimmune disease that leads to the destruction of the myelin sheath in the human central nervous system (CNS). Infection by viruses and bacteria has been found to be strongly associated with the onset of MS or its severity. We postulated that the immune system's attack on the myelin sheath could be triggered by viruses and bacteria antigens that resemble myelin sheath components.
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