Drosophila egghead encodes a beta 1,4-mannosyltransferase predicted to form the immediate precursor glycosphingolipid substrate for brainiac.

TY - JOUR

T1 - Drosophila egghead encodes a beta 1,4-mannosyltransferase predicted to form the immediate precursor glycosphingolipid substrate for brainiac.

AU - Wandall, Hans H

AU - Pedersen, Johannes W

AU - Park, Chaeho

AU - Levery, Steven B

AU - Pizette, Sandrine

AU - Cohen, Stephen M

AU - Schwientek, Tilo

AU - Clausen, Henrik

N1 - Keywords: Animals; Base Sequence; CHO Cells; Cricetinae; DNA Primers; Drosophila Proteins; Drosophila melanogaster; Glycosphingolipids; Insect Proteins; Mannosyltransferases; Membrane Proteins; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; Substrate Specificity

PY - 2002

Y1 - 2002

N2 - The neurogenic Drosophila genes brainiac and egghead are essential for epithelial development in the embryo and in oogenesis. Analysis of egghead and brainiac mutants has led to the suggestion that the two genes function in a common signaling pathway. Recently, brainiac was shown to encode a UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:beta Man beta 1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (beta 3GlcNAc-transferase) tentatively assigned a key role in biosynthesis of arthroseries glycosphingolipids and forming the trihexosylceramide, GlcNAc beta 1-3Man beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer. In the present study we demonstrate that egghead encodes a Golgi-located GDP-mannose:beta Glc beta 1,4-mannosyltransferase tentatively assigned a biosynthetic role to form the precursor arthroseries glycosphingolipid substrate for Brainiac, Man beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer. Egghead is unique among eukaryotic glycosyltransferase genes in that homologous genes are limited to invertebrates, which correlates with the exclusive existence of arthroseries glycolipids in invertebrates. We propose that brainiac and egghead function in a common biosynthetic pathway and that inactivating mutations in either lead to sufficiently early termination of glycolipid biosynthesis to inactivate essential functions mediated by glycosphingolipids.

AB - The neurogenic Drosophila genes brainiac and egghead are essential for epithelial development in the embryo and in oogenesis. Analysis of egghead and brainiac mutants has led to the suggestion that the two genes function in a common signaling pathway. Recently, brainiac was shown to encode a UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:beta Man beta 1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (beta 3GlcNAc-transferase) tentatively assigned a key role in biosynthesis of arthroseries glycosphingolipids and forming the trihexosylceramide, GlcNAc beta 1-3Man beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer. In the present study we demonstrate that egghead encodes a Golgi-located GDP-mannose:beta Glc beta 1,4-mannosyltransferase tentatively assigned a biosynthetic role to form the precursor arthroseries glycosphingolipid substrate for Brainiac, Man beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer. Egghead is unique among eukaryotic glycosyltransferase genes in that homologous genes are limited to invertebrates, which correlates with the exclusive existence of arthroseries glycolipids in invertebrates. We propose that brainiac and egghead function in a common biosynthetic pathway and that inactivating mutations in either lead to sufficiently early termination of glycolipid biosynthesis to inactivate essential functions mediated by glycosphingolipids.

U2 - 10.1074/jbc.C200619200

DO - 10.1074/jbc.C200619200

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 12454022

SN - 0021-9258

VL - 278

SP - 1411

EP - 1414

JO - Journal of Biological Chemistry

JF - Journal of Biological Chemistry

IS - 3

ER -