Cloning and Characterization of β1,3-Glycosyltransferase Family with a β3GT Motifs

Abstract

Almost every organism contains a broad range of carbohydrate chains linked to many biomolecules. The complex carbohydrate chains of glycoproteins (O-glycans and N-glycans), glycolipids, and proteoglycans represent the secondary gene products formed through the reactions of many glycosyltransferases. The carbohydrate antigens on cell surface are regulated by many glycosyltransferases. Bioinformatics is a very powerful tool in the field of glycoproteomics as well as of genomics and proteomics. Bioinformatics technique accelerates the comprehensive identification and in silico cloning of glycosyltransferases. Glycosyltransferase genes play central roles in carbohydrate chain biosynthesis and have been analyzed for their biological functions. At present, over 173 genes of human glycosyltransferases and sulfotransferases have been identified, cloned and expressed in various expression systems to analyze the activity for carbohydrate synthesis and its biological function. The recombinant proteins of glycosyltransferases were successfully identified for their enzyme activities and substrate specificities. This article reviews the functions, substrate specificities and enzymatic reactions of glycosyltransferases such as β1,3-glycosyltransferase family which is cloned by bioinformatics techniques etc..