North Carolina Central University


Fucosylation of Cripto is required for its ability to facilitate nodal signaling

Publication Type  Journal Article
Author  Schiffer SG, Foley S, Kaffashan A, Hronowski X, Zichittella AE, Yeo CY, Miatkowski K, Adkins HB, Damon B, Whitman M, Salomon D, Sanicola M, Williams KP
Year of Publication  2001
Secondary Title  J Biol Chem
Volume  276
Pagination  37769-78
Publication Language  eng
Key Words  Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; CHO Cells; Cricetinae; DNA Primers; *Epidermal Growth Factor; Fucose/*metabolism; Glycosylation; *Homeodomain Proteins; Humans; Mass Spectrometry; *Membrane Glycoproteins; Molecular Sequence Data; Mutagenesis;
Abstract  

O-linked fucose modification is rare and has been shown to occur almost exclusively within epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like modules. We have found that the EGF-CFC family member human Cripto-1 (CR) is modified with fucose and through a combination of peptide mapping, mass spectrometry, and sequence analysis localized the site of attachment to Thr-88. The identification of a fucose modification on human CR within its EGF-like domain and the presence of a consensus fucosylation site within all EGF-CFC family members suggest that this is a biologically important modification in CR, which functionally distinguishes it from the EGF ligands that bind the type 1 erbB growth factor receptors. A single CR point mutation, Thr-88 --> Ala, results in a form of the protein that is not fucosylated and has substantially weaker activity in cell-based CR/Nodal signaling assays, indicating that fucosylation is functionally important for CR to facilitate Nodal signaling.

Notes  

Journal ArticleResearch Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Citation Key  227