Current Views on the Roles of O-Glycosylation in Controlling Notch-Ligand Interactions

Efficient Escorting Strategy for Aggregation-Prone Notch EGF Repeats with Sparcl1

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) repeats are present in various proteins and form well-defined structures with three disulfide bonds. One representative protein is the Notch receptor. Each EGF repeat contains unique atypical O-linked glycans, such as O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc). To generate a monoclonal antibody against the O-GlcNAc moiety in mouse Notch1, we expressed the recombinant C-terminal His6-tagged Notch1 EGF14-15 protein in HEK293T cells to prepare the immunogen. Most of the proteins were not secreted and showed higher molecular weight ladders in the cell lysate, suggesting protein aggregation. To overcome this issue, we fused Sparcl1 as an extracellular escorting tag to the N-terminus of Notch1 EGF14-15. The fusion protein was efficiently secreted extracellularly without protein aggregates in the lysates. Following PreScission protease treatment, Notch1 EGF14-15 was efficiently released from the escorting tag. Notch1 EGF14-15 prepared using this method was indeed O-GlcNAcylated. The optimal length of the escorting tag was determined by generating deletion mutants to improve the extracellular secretion of EGF14-15. Hence, a large amount of EGF14-15 was successfully prepared from the culture supernatant of HEK293T cells, which were otherwise prone to aggregation.

HSF1 Increases EOGT-Mediated Glycosylation of Notch1 to Promote IL-1β-Induced Inflammatory Injury of Chondrocytes

OBJECTIVE

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common arthritic disease in humans. Nevertheless, the pathogenic mechanism of OA remains unclear. This study aimed to explore that heat-shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) facilitated interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) chondrocyte injury by increasing Notch1 O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification level.

DESIGN

Human chondrocytes were incubated with 5 ng/ml interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) for 24 h to establish OA cell model. The messenger RNA (mRNA) or protein expressions were assessed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot, or immunofluorescence. Chondrocyte viability was examined by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to detect the secretion levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8). Immunoprecipitation was adopted to detect Notch1 O-GlcNAc modification level. The interaction between HSF1 and epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) domain-specific O-GlcNAc transferase (EOGT) promoter was analyzed by dual-luciferase reporter gene and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays.

RESULTS

Herein, our results demonstrated that HSF1, EOGT, Notch1, and Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD1) expressions in chondrocytes were markedly increased by IL-1β stimulation. EOGT elevated Notch1 expression in IL-1β-treated chondrocytes by increasing Notch1 O-GlcNAc modification level. EOGT silencing reduced IL-1β-induced chondrocyte inflammatory injury. In addition, HSF1 knockdown relieved IL-1β-induced chondrocyte inflammatory injury. Molecular interaction experiment proved that HSF1 transcriptionally activated EOGT expression in IL-1β-treated chondrocytes.

CONCLUSIONS

HSF1 promoted IL-1β-induced inflammatory injury in chondrocytes by increasing EOGT-mediated glycosylation of Notch1.

EOGT enables residual Notch signaling in mouse intestinal cells lacking POFUT1

Notch signaling determines cell fates in mouse intestine. Notch receptors contain multiple epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) repeats modified by O-glycans that regulate Notch signaling. Conditional deletion of protein O-fucosyltransferase 1 (Pofut1) substantially reduces Notch signaling and markedly perturbs lineage development in mouse intestine. However, mice with inactivated Pofut1 are viable, whereas complete elimination of Notch signaling in intestine is lethal. Here we investigate whether residual Notch signaling enabled by EGF-domain-specific O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (Eogt) permits mice conditionally lacking Pofut1 in intestine to survive. Mice globally lacking Eogt alone were grossly unaffected in intestinal development. In contrast, mice lacking both Eogt and Pofut1 died at ~ 28 days after birth with greater loss of body weight, a greater increase in the number of goblet and Paneth cells, and greater downregulation of the Notch target gene Hes1, compared to Pofut1 deletion alone. These data reveal that both O-fucose and O-GlcNAc glycans are fundamental to Notch signaling in the intestine and provide new insights into roles for O-glycans in regulating Notch ligand binding. Finally, EOGT and O-GlcNAc glycans provide residual Notch signaling and support viability in mice lacking Pofut1 in the intestine.

Microglial Galectin3 enhances endothelial metabolism and promotes pathological angiogenesis via Notch inhibition by competitively binding to Jag1

Microglia were considered as immune cells in inflammation until their angiogenic role was widely understood. Although the pro-inflammatory role of microglia in retinal angiogenesis has been explored, little is known about its role in pro-angiogenesis and the microglia-endothelia interaction. Here, we report that galectin-3 (Gal3) released by activated microglia functions as a communicator between microglia and endothelia and competitively binds to Jag1, thus inhibiting the Notch signaling pathway and enhancing endothelial angiogenic metabolism to promote angiogenesis. These results suggest that Gal3 may be a novel and effective target in the treatment of retinal angiogenesis.

Regulation of myeloid and lymphoid cell development by O-glycans on Notch

Notch signaling via NOTCH1 stimulated by Delta-like ligand 4 (DLL4) is required for the development of T cells in thymus, and NOTCH2 stimulated by Notch ligand DLL1 is required for the development of marginal zone (MZ) B cells in spleen. Notch signaling also regulates myeloid cell production in bone marrow and is an essential contributor to the generation of early hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). The differentiation program in each of these cellular contexts is optimized by the regulation of Notch signaling strength by O-glycans attached to epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) repeats in the extracellular domain of Notch receptors. There are three major types of O-glycan on NOTCH1 and NOTCH2 - O-fucose, O-glucose and O-GlcNAc. The initiating sugar of each O-glycan is added in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by glycosyltransferases POFUT1 (fucose), POGLUT1/2/3 (glucose) or EOGT (GlcNAc), respectively. Additional sugars are added in the Golgi compartment during passage through the secretory pathway to the plasma membrane. Of particular significance for Notch signaling is the addition of GlcNAc to O-fucose on an EGF repeat by the Fringe GlcNAc-transferases LFNG, MFNG or RFNG. Canonical Notch ligands (DLL1, DLL4, JAG1, JAG2) expressed in stromal cells bind to the extracellular domain of Notch receptors expressed in hematopoietic stem cells and myeloid and lymphoid progenitors to activate Notch signaling. Ligand-receptor binding is differentially regulated by the O-glycans on Notch. This review will summarize our understanding of the regulation of Notch signaling in myeloid and lymphoid cell development by specific O-glycans in mice with dysregulated expression of a particular glycosyltransferase and discuss how this may impact immune system development and malignancy in general, and in individuals with a congenital defect in the synthesis of the O-glycans attached to EGF repeats.

Aberrant Notch signaling in gliomas: a potential landscape of actionable converging targets for combination approach in therapies resistance

The current therapeutic protocols and prognosis of gliomas still depend on clinicopathologic and radiographic characteristics. For high-grade gliomas, the standard of care is resection followed by radiotherapy plus temozolomide chemotherapy. However, treatment resistance develops due to different mechanisms, among which is the dynamic interplay between the tumor and its microenvironment. Different signaling pathways cause the proliferation of so-called glioma stem cells, a minor cancer cell population with stem cell-like characteristics and aggressive phenotype. In the last decades, numerous studies have indicated that Notch is a crucial pathway that maintains the characteristics of resistant glioma stem cells. Data obtained from preclinical models indicate that downregulation of the Notch pathway could induce multifaceted drug sensitivity, acting on the expression of drug-transporter proteins, inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and shaping the tumor microenvironment. This review provides a brief overview of the published data supporting the roles of Notch in drug resistance and demonstrates how potential novel strategies targeting Notch could become an efficacious action to improve the therapy of high-grade glioma to overcome drug resistance.

Combined proteomic and biochemical analyses redefine the consensus sequence requirement for epidermal growth factor-like domain hydroxylation

Epidermal growth factor-like domains (EGFDs) have important functions in cell-cell signaling. Both secreted and cell surface human EGFDs are subject to extensive modifications, including aspartate and asparagine residue C3-hydroxylations catalyzed by the 2-oxoglutarate oxygenase aspartate/asparagine-β-hydroxylase (AspH). Although genetic studies show AspH is important in human biology, studies on its physiological roles have been limited by incomplete knowledge of its substrates. Here, we redefine the consensus sequence requirements for AspH-catalyzed EGFD hydroxylation based on combined analysis of proteomic mass spectrometric data and mass spectrometry-based assays with isolated AspH and peptide substrates. We provide cellular and biochemical evidence that the preferred site of EGFD hydroxylation is embedded within a disulfide-bridged macrocycle formed of 10 amino acid residues. This definition enabled the identification of previously unassigned hydroxylation sites in three EGFDs of human fibulins as AspH substrates. A non-EGFD containing protein, lymphocyte antigen-6/plasminogen activator urokinase receptor domain containing protein 6B (LYPD6B) was shown to be a substrate for isolated AspH, but we did not observe evidence for LYPD6B hydroxylation in cells. AspH-catalyzed hydroxylation of fibulins is of particular interest given their important roles in extracellular matrix dynamics. In conclusion, these results lead to a revision of the consensus substrate requirements for AspH and expand the range of observed and potential AspH-catalyzed hydroxylation in cells, which will enable future study of the biological roles of AspH.

Advances and Challenges in Enzymatic C-glycosylation of Flavonoids in Plants

Flavonoid glycosides play required determinant roles in plants and have considerable potential for applications in medicine and biotechnology. Glycosyltransferases transfer a sugar moiety from uridine diphosphate-activated sugar molecules to an acceptor flavonoid via C-O and C-C linkages. Compared with O-glycosylflavonoids, C-glycosylflavonoids are more stable, are resistant to glycosidase or acid hydrolysis, exhibit better pharmacological properties, and have received more attention. Herein, we discuss the mining of C-glycosylflavones and the corresponding C-glycosyltransferases and evaluate the differences in structure and catalytic mechanisms between C-glycosyltransferase and O-glycosyltransferase. We conclude that promiscuity and specificity are key determinants for general flavonoid C-glycosyltransferase engineering and summarize the C-glycosyltransferase engineering strategy. A thorough understanding of the properties, catalytic mechanisms, and engineering of C-glycosyltransferases will be critical for any future biotechnological applications in areas such as the production of desired C-glycosylflavonoids for nutritional or medicinal use.

Identification, function, and biological relevance of POGLUT2 and POGLUT3

O-glycosylation of Epidermal Growth Factor-like (EGF) repeats plays crucial roles in protein folding, trafficking and function. The Notch extracellular domain has been used as a model to study these mechanisms due to its many O-glycosylated EGF repeats. Three enzymes were previously known to O-glycosylate Notch EGF repeats: Protein O-Glucosyltransferase 1 (POGLUT1), Protein O-Fucosyltransferase 1 (POFUT1), and EGF Domain Specific O-Linked N-Acetylglucosamine Transferase (EOGT). All of these modifications affect Notch activity. Recently, POGLUT2 and POGLUT3 were identified as two novel O-glucosyltransferases that modify a few Notch EGF repeats at sites distinct from those modified by POGLUT1. Comparison of these modification sites revealed a putative consensus sequence which predicted modification of many extracellular matrix proteins including fibrillins (FBNs) and Latent TGFβ-binding proteins (LTBPs). Glycoproteomic analysis revealed that approximately half of the 47 EGF repeats in FBN1 and FBN2, and half of the 18 EGF repeats in LTBP1, are modified by POGLUT2 and/or POGLUT3. Cellular assays showed that loss of modifications by POGLUT2 and/or POGLUT3 significantly reduces FBN1 secretion. There is precedent for EGF modifications to affect protein-protein interactions, as has been demonstrated by research of POGLUT1 and POFUT1 modifications on Notch. Here we discuss the identification and characterization of POGLUT2 and POGLUT3 and the ongoing research that continues to elucidate the biological significance of these novel enzymes.

Significant Roles of Notch O-Glycosylation in Cancer

Notch signaling, which was initially identified in Drosophila wing morphogenesis, plays pivotal roles in cell development and differentiation. Optimal Notch pathway activity is essential for normal development and dysregulation of Notch signaling leads to various human diseases, including many types of cancers. In hematopoietic cancers, such as T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Notch plays an oncogenic role, while in acute myeloid leukemia, it has a tumor-suppressive role. In solid tumors, such as hepatocellular carcinoma and medulloblastoma, Notch may have either an oncogenic or tumor-suppressive role, depending on the context. Aberrant expression of Notch receptors or ligands can alter the ligand-dependent Notch signaling and changes in trafficking can lead to ligand-independent signaling. Defects in any of the two signaling pathways can lead to tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Strikingly, O-glycosylation is one such process that modulates ligand–receptor binding and trafficking. Three types of O-linked modifications on the extracellular epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) repeats of Notch receptors are observed, namely O-glucosylation, O-fucosylation, and O-N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) modifications. In addition, O-GalNAc mucin-type O-glycosylation outside the EGF repeats also appears to occur in Notch receptors. In this review, we first briefly summarize the basics of Notch signaling, describe the latest information on O-glycosylation of Notch receptors classified on a structural basis, and finally describe the regulation of Notch signaling by O-glycosylation in cancer.

Shooting at Moving and Hidden Targets-Tumour Cell Plasticity and the Notch Signalling Pathway in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is often aggressive, with poor response to current therapies in approximately 40-50% of the patients. Current therapies are restricted to operation and irradiation, often combined with a small number of standard-of-care chemotherapeutic drugs, preferentially for advanced tumour patients. Only very recently, newer targeted therapies have entered the clinics, including Cetuximab, which targets the EGF receptor (EGFR), and several immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the immune receptor PD-1 and its ligand PD-L1. HNSCC tumour tissues are characterized by a high degree of intra-tumour heterogeneity (ITH), and non-genetic alterations that may affect both non-transformed cells, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and transformed carcinoma cells. This very high degree of heterogeneity likely contributes to acquired drug resistance, tumour dormancy, relapse, and distant or lymph node metastasis. ITH, in turn, is likely promoted by pronounced tumour cell plasticity, which manifests in highly dynamic and reversible phenomena such as of partial or hybrid forms of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and enhanced tumour stemness. Stemness and tumour cell plasticity are strongly promoted by Notch signalling, which remains poorly understood especially in HNSCC. Here, we aim to elucidate how Notch signal may act both as a tumour suppressor and proto-oncogenic, probably during different stages of tumour cell initiation and progression. Notch signalling also interacts with numerous other signalling pathways, that may also have a decisive impact on tumour cell plasticity, acquired radio/chemoresistance, and metastatic progression of HNSCC. We outline the current stage of research related to Notch signalling, and how this pathway may be intricately interconnected with other, druggable targets and signalling mechanisms in HNSCC.

Retinal regeneration requires dynamic Notch signaling

Retinal damage in the adult zebrafish induces Müller glia reprogramming to produce neuronal progenitor cells that proliferate and differentiate into retinal neurons. Notch signaling, which is a fundamental mechanism known to drive cell-cell communication, is required to maintain Müller glia in a quiescent state in the undamaged retina, and repression of Notch signaling is necessary for Müller glia to reenter the cell cycle. The dynamic regulation of Notch signaling following retinal damage also directs proliferation and neurogenesis of the Müller glia-derived progenitor cells in a robust regeneration response. In contrast, mammalian Müller glia respond to retinal damage by entering a prolonged gliotic state that leads to additional neuronal death and permanent vision loss. Understanding the dynamic regulation of Notch signaling in the zebrafish retina may aid efforts to stimulate Müller glia reprogramming for regeneration of the diseased human retina. Recent findings identified DeltaB and Notch3 as the ligand-receptor pair that serves as the principal regulators of zebrafish Müller glia quiescence. In addition, multiomics datasets and functional studies indicate that additional Notch receptors, ligands, and target genes regulate cell proliferation and neurogenesis during the regeneration time course. Still, our understanding of Notch signaling during retinal regeneration is limited. To fully appreciate the complex regulation of Notch signaling that is required for successful retinal regeneration, investigation of additional aspects of the pathway, such as post-translational modification of the receptors, ligand endocytosis, and interactions with other fundamental pathways is needed. Here we review various modes of Notch signaling regulation in the context of the vertebrate retina to put recent research in perspective and to identify open areas of inquiry.

POGLUT2 and POGLUT3 O-glucosylate multiple EGF repeats in fibrillin-1, -2, and LTBP1 and promote secretion of fibrillin-1

Fibrillin-1 (FBN1) is the major component of extracellular matrix microfibrils, which are required for proper development of elastic tissues, including the heart and lungs. Through protein-protein interactions with latent transforming growth factor (TGF) β-binding protein 1 (LTBP1), microfibrils regulate TGF-β signaling. Mutations within the 47 epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) repeats of FBN1 cause autosomal dominant disorders including Marfan Syndrome, which is characterized by disrupted TGF-β signaling. We recently identified two novel protein O-glucosyltransferases, Protein O-glucosyltransferase 2 (POGLUT2) and 3 (POGLUT3), that modify a small fraction of EGF repeats on Notch. Here, using mass spectral analysis, we show that POGLUT2 and POGLUT3 also modify over half of the EGF repeats on FBN1, fibrillin-2 (FBN2), and LTBP1. While most sites are modified by both enzymes, some sites show a preference for either POGLUT2 or POGLUT3. POGLUT2 and POGLUT3 are homologs of POGLUT1, which stabilizes Notch proteins by addition of O-glucose to Notch EGF repeats. Like POGLUT1, POGLUT2 and 3 can discern a folded versus unfolded EGF repeat, suggesting POGLUT2 and 3 are involved in a protein folding pathway. In vitro secretion assays using the N-terminal portion of recombinant FBN1 revealed reduced FBN1 secretion in POGLUT2 knockout, POGLUT3 knockout, and POGLUT2 and 3 double-knockout HEK293T cells compared with wild type. These results illustrate that POGLUT2 and 3 function together to O-glucosylate protein substrates and that these modifications play a role in the secretion of substrate proteins. It will be interesting to see how disease variants in these proteins affect their O-glucosylation.