Volume 28, Issue 37 e202201253
Research Article

Design and Synthesis of Glycosylated Cholera Toxin B Subunit as a Tracer of Glycoprotein Trafficking in Organelles of Living Cells

Dr. Yuta Maki

Dr. Yuta Maki

Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043 Japan

Project Research Center for Fundamental Sciences, Graduate Scholl of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043 Japan

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Kazuki Kawata

Kazuki Kawata

Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043 Japan

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Dr. Yanbo Liu

Dr. Yanbo Liu

Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043 Japan

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Kang-Ying Goo

Kang-Ying Goo

Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043 Japan

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Dr. Ryo Okamoto

Dr. Ryo Okamoto

Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043 Japan

Project Research Center for Fundamental Sciences, Graduate Scholl of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043 Japan

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Prof. Dr. Yasuhiro Kajihara

Corresponding Author

Prof. Dr. Yasuhiro Kajihara

Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043 Japan

Project Research Center for Fundamental Sciences, Graduate Scholl of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043 Japan

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Dr. Ayano Satoh

Corresponding Author

Dr. Ayano Satoh

Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushimanaka, Okayama, 700-8530 Japan

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First published: 23 May 2022
Citations: 2

Graphical Abstract

We designed and chemically synthesized intentionally glycosylated cholera toxin B-subunit (glycosyl-CTB) as a tracer to investigate maturation and functions of N-glycans on the biosynthesis of glycoproteins. The obtained glycoprotein was successfully transported to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus of living cells.

Abstract

Glycosylation of proteins is known to be essential for changing biological activity and stability of glycoproteins on the cell surfaces and in body fluids. Delivering of homogeneous glycoproteins into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus would enable us to investigate the function of asparagine-linked (N-) glycans in the organelles. In this work, we designed and synthesized an intentionally glycosylated cholera toxin B-subunit (CTB) to be transported to the organelles of mammalian cells. The heptasaccharide, the intermediate structure of various complex-type N-glycans, was introduced to the CTB. The synthesized monomeric glycosyl-CTB successfully entered mammalian cells and was transported to the Golgi and the ER, suggesting the potential use of synthetic CTB to deliver and investigate the functions of homogeneous N-glycans in specific organelles of living cells.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.