Lina Kaminski

Protein glycosylation in Archaea: Sweet and Extreme

While each of the three domains of life on Earth possesses unique traits and relies on characteristic biological strategies, some processes are common to Eukarya, Bacteria and Archaea. Once believed to be restricted to Eukarya, it is now clear that Bacteria and Archaea are also capable of performing N-glycosylation. However, in contrast to Bacteria, where this posttranslational modification is still considered a rare event, numerous species of Archaea, isolated from a wide range of environments, have been reported to contain proteins bearing Asn-linked glycan moieties. Analysis of the chemical composition of the Asn-linked polysaccharides decorating archaeal proteins has, moreover, revealed the use of a wider variety of sugar subunits than seen in either eukaryal or bacterial glycoproteins. Still, although first reported some 30 years ago, little had been known of the steps or components involved in the archaeal version of this universal posttranslational modification. Now, with the availability of sufficient numbers of genome sequences and the development of appropriate experimental tools, molecular analysis of archaeal N-glycosylation pathways has become possible. Accordingly using halophilic, methanogenic and thermophilic model species, insight into the biosynthesis and attachment of N-linked glycans decorating archaeal glycoproteins is starting to amass. In this review, current understanding of N-glycosylation in Archaea is described.

N-Linked Glycosylation in Archaea: a Structural, Functional, and Genetic Analysis

SUMMARY N-glycosylation of proteins is one of the most prevalent posttranslational modifications in nature. Accordingly, a pathway with shared commonalities is found in all three domains of life. While excellent model systems have been developed for studying N-glycosylation in both Eukarya and Bacteria, an understanding of this process in Archaea was hampered until recently by a lack of effective molecular tools. However, within the last decade, impressive advances in the study of the archaeal version of this important pathway have been made for halophiles, methanogens, and thermoacidophiles, combining glycan structural information obtained by mass spectrometry with bioinformatic, genetic, biochemical, and enzymatic data. These studies reveal both features shared with the eukaryal and bacterial domains and novel archaeon-specific aspects. Unique features of N-glycosylation in Archaea include the presence of unusual dolichol lipid carriers, the use of a variety of linking sugars that connect the glycan to proteins, the presence of novel sugars as glycan constituents, the presence of two very different N-linked glycans attached to the same protein, and the ability to vary the N-glycan composition under different growth conditions. These advances are the focus of this review, with an emphasis on N-glycosylation pathways in Haloferax, Methanococcus, and Sulfolobus.

Distinct glycan‐charged phosphodolichol carriers are required for the assembly of the pentasaccharide N‐linked to the Haloferax volcanii S‐layer glycoprotein

In Archaea, dolichol phosphates have been implicated as glycan carriers in the N‐glycosylation pathway, much like their eukaryal counterparts. To clarify this relation, highly sensitive liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry was employed to detect and characterize glycan‐charged phosphodolichols in the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii. It is reported that Hfx. volcanii contains a series of C55 and C60 dolichol phosphates presenting saturated isoprene subunits at the α and ω positions and sequentially modified with the first, second, third and methylated fourth sugar subunits comprising the first four subunits of the pentasaccharide N‐linked to the S‐layer glycoprotein, a reporter of N‐glycosylation. Moreover, when this glycan‐charged phosphodolichol pool was examined in cells deleted of agl genes encoding glycosyltransferases participating in N‐glycosylation and previously assigned roles in adding pentasaccharide residues one to four, the composition of the lipid‐linked glycans was perturbed in the identical manner as was S‐layer glycoprotein N‐glycosylation in these mutants. In contrast, the fifth sugar of the pentasaccharide, identified as mannose in this study, is added to a distinct dolichol phosphate carrier. This represents the first evidence that in Archaea, as in Eukarya, the oligosaccharides N‐linked to glycoproteins are sequentially assembled from glycans originating from distinct phosphodolichol carriers.

AglJ adds the first sugar of the N-linked pentasaccharide decorating the Haloferax volcanii S-layer glycoprotein.

Like the Eukarya and Bacteria, the Archaea also perform N glycosylation. Using the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii as a model system, a series of Agl proteins involved in the archaeal version of this posttranslational modification has been identified. In the present study, the participation of HVO_1517 in N glycosylation was considered, given its homology to a known component of the eukaryal N-glycosylation pathway and because of the genomic proximity of HVO_1517 to agl genes encoding known elements of the H. volcanii N-glycosylation process. By combining the deletion of HVO_1517 with mass spectrometric analysis of both dolichol phosphate monosaccharide-charged carriers and the S-layer glycoprotein, evidence was obtained showing the participation of HVO_1517, renamed AglJ, in adding the first hexose of the N-linked pentasaccharide decorating this reporter glycoprotein. The deletion of aglJ, however, did not fully prevent the attachment of a hexose residue to the S-layer glycoprotein. Moreover, in the absence of AglJ, the level of only one of the three monosaccharide-charged dolichol phosphate carriers detected in the cell was reduced. Nonetheless, in cells lacking AglJ, no further sugar subunits were added to the remaining monosaccharide-charged dolichol phosphate carriers or to the monosaccharide-modified S-layer glycoprotein, pointing to the importance of the sugar added through the actions of AglJ for proper N glycosylation. Finally, while aglJ can be deleted, H. volcanii surface layer integrity is compromised in the absence of the encoded protein.

Two Distinct N-Glycosylation Pathways Process the Haloferax volcanii S-Layer Glycoprotein upon Changes in Environmental Salinity

ABSTRACT N-glycosylation in Archaea presents aspects of this posttranslational modification not seen in either Eukarya or Bacteria. In the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii, the surface (S)-layer glycoprotein can be simultaneously modified by two different N-glycans. Asn-13 and Asn-83 are modified by a pentasaccharide, whereas Asn-498 is modified by a tetrasaccharide of distinct composition, with N-glycosylation at this position being related to environmental conditions. Specifically, N-glycosylation of Asn-498 is detected when cells are grown in the presence of 1.75 but not 3.4 M NaCl. While deletion of genes encoding components of the pentasaccharide assembly pathway had no effect on the biosynthesis of the tetrasaccharide bound to Asn-498, deletion of genes within the cluster spanning HVO_2046 to HVO_2061 interfered with the assembly and attachment of the Asn-498-linked tetrasaccharide. Transfer of the “low-salt” tetrasaccharide from the dolichol phosphate carrier upon which it is assembled to S-layer glycoprotein Asn-498 did not require AglB, the oligosaccharyltransferase responsible for pentasaccharide attachment to Asn-13 and Asn-83. Finally, although biogenesis of the low-salt tetrasaccharide is barely discernible upon growth at the elevated salinity, this glycan was readily detected under such conditions in strains deleted of pentasaccharide biosynthesis pathway genes, indicative of cross talk between the two N-glycosylation pathways. IMPORTANCE In the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii, originally from the Dead Sea, the pathway responsible for the assembly and attachment of a pentasaccharide to the S-layer glycoprotein, a well-studied glycoprotein in this species, has been described. More recently, it was shown that in response to growth in low salinity, the same glycoprotein is modified by a novel tetrasaccharide. In the present study, numerous components of the pathway used to synthesize this “low-salt” tetrasaccharide are described. As such, this represents the first report of two N-glycosylation pathways able to simultaneously modify a single protein as a function of environmental salinity. Moreover, and to the best of our knowledge, the ability to N-glycosylate the same protein with different and unrelated glycans has not been observed in either Eukarya or Bacteria or indeed beyond the halophilic archaea, for which similar dual modification of the Halobacterium salinarum S-layer glycoprotein was reported. In the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii, originally from the Dead Sea, the pathway responsible for the assembly and attachment of a pentasaccharide to the S-layer glycoprotein, a well-studied glycoprotein in this species, has been described. More recently, it was shown that in response to growth in low salinity, the same glycoprotein is modified by a novel tetrasaccharide. In the present study, numerous components of the pathway used to synthesize this “low-salt” tetrasaccharide are described. As such, this represents the first report of two N-glycosylation pathways able to simultaneously modify a single protein as a function of environmental salinity. Moreover, and to the best of our knowledge, the ability to N-glycosylate the same protein with different and unrelated glycans has not been observed in either Eukarya or Bacteria or indeed beyond the halophilic archaea, for which similar dual modification of the Halobacterium salinarum S-layer glycoprotein was reported.

Phylogenetic- and genome-derived insight into the evolution of N-glycosylation in Archaea

N-glycosylation, the covalent attachment of oligosaccharides to target protein Asn residues, is a post-translational modification that occurs in all three domains of life. In Archaea, the N-linked glycans that decorate experimentally characterized glycoproteins reveal a diversity in composition and content unequaled by their bacterial or eukaryal counterparts. At the same time, relatively little is known of archaeal N-glycosylation pathways outside of a handful of model strains. To gain insight into the distribution and evolutionary history of the archaeal version of this universal protein-processing event, 168 archaeal genome sequences were scanned for the presence of aglB, encoding the known archaeal oligosaccharyltransferase, an enzyme key to N-glycosylation. Such analysis predicts the presence of AglB in 166 species, with some species seemingly containing multiple versions of the protein. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the events leading to aglB duplication occurred at various points during archaeal evolution. In many cases, aglB is found as part of a cluster of putative N-glycosylation genes. The presence, arrangement and nucleotide composition of genes in aglB-based clusters in five species of the halophilic archaeon Haloferax points to lateral gene transfer as contributing to the evolution of archaeal N-glycosylation.

AglR is required for addition of the final mannose residue of the N-linked glycan decorating the Haloferax volcanii S-layer glycoprotein.

BACKGROUND Recent studies of Haloferax volcanii have begun to elucidate the steps of N-glycosylation in Archaea, where this universal post-translational modification remains poorly described. In Hfx. volcanii, a series of Agl proteins catalyzes the assembly and attachment of a N-linked pentasaccharide to the S-layer glycoprotein. Although roles have been assigned to the majority of Agl proteins, others await description. In the following, the contribution of AglR to N-glycosylation was addressed. METHODS A combination of bioinformatics, gene deletion, mass spectrometry and metabolic radiolabeling served to show a role for AglR in archaeal N-glycosylation at both the dolichol phosphate and reporter glycoprotein levels. RESULTS The modified behavior of the S-layer glycoprotein isolated from cells lacking AglR points to an involvement of this protein in N-glycosylation. In cells lacking AglR, glycan-charged dolichol phosphate, including mannose-charged dolichol phosphate, accumulates. At the same time, the S-layer glycoprotein does not incorporate mannose, the final subunit of the N-linked pentasaccharide decorating this protein. AglR is a homologue of Wzx proteins, annotated as flippases responsible for delivering lipid-linked O-antigen precursor oligosaccharides across the bacterial plasma membrane during lipopolysaccharide biogenesis. CONCLUSIONS The effects resulting from aglR deletion are consistent with AglR interacting with dolichol phosphate-mannose, possibly acting as a dolichol phosphate-mannose flippase or contributing to such activity. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Little is known of how lipid-linked oligosaccharides are translocated across membrane during N-glycosylation. The possibility of Hfx. volcanii AglR mediating or contributing to flippase activity could help address this situation.

N-glycosylation in Haloferax volcanii: adjusting the sweetness

Long believed to be restricted to Eukarya, it is now known that cells of all three domains of life perform N-glycosylation, the covalent attachment of glycans to select target protein asparagine residues. Still, it is only in the last decade that pathways of N-glycosylation in Archaea have been delineated. In the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii, a series of Agl (archaeal glycosylation) proteins is responsible for the addition of an N-linked pentasaccharide to modified proteins, including the surface (S)-layer glycoprotein, the sole component of the surface layer surrounding the cell. The S-layer glycoprotein N-linked glycosylation profile changes, however, as a function of surrounding salinity. Upon growth at different salt concentrations, the S-layer glycoprotein is either decorated by the N-linked pentasaccharide introduced above or by both this pentasaccharide as well as a tetrasaccharide of distinct composition. Recent efforts have identified Agl5–Agl15 as components of a second Hfx. volcanii N-glycosylation pathway responsible for generating the tetrasaccharide attached to S-layer glycoprotein when growth occurs in 1.75 M but not 3.4 M NaCl-containing medium.

Identification of residues important for the activity of Haloferax volcanii AglD, a component of the archaeal N-glycosylation pathway.

In Haloferax volcanii, AglD adds the final hexose to the N-linked pentasaccharide decorating the S-layer glycoprotein. Not knowing the natural substrate of the glycosyltransferase, together with the challenge of designing assays compatible with hypersalinity, has frustrated efforts at biochemical characterization of AglD activity. To circumvent these obstacles, an in vivo assay designed to identify amino acid residues important for AglD activity is described. In the assay, restoration of AglD function in an Hfx. volcanii aglD deletion strain transformed to express plasmid-encoded versions of AglD, generated through site-directed mutagenesis at positions encoding residues conserved in archaeal homologues of AglD, is reflected in the behavior of a readily detectable reporter of N-glycosylation. As such Asp110 and Asp112 were designated as elements of the DXD motif of AglD, a motif that interacts with metal cations associated with nucleotide-activated sugar donors, while Asp201 was predicted to be the catalytic base of the enzyme.

Add salt, add sugar: N-glycosylation in Haloferax volcanii.

Although performed by members of all three domains of life, the archaeal version of N-glycosylation remains the least understood. Studies on Haloferax volcanii have, however, begun to correct this situation. A combination of bioinformatics, molecular biology, biochemical and mass spectrometry approaches have served to delineate the Agl pathway responsible for N-glycosylation of the S-layer glycoprotein, a reporter of this post-translational modification in Hfx. volcanii. More recently, differential N-glycosylation of the S-layer glycoprotein as a function of environmental salinity was demonstrated, showing that this post-translational modification serves an adaptive role in Hfx. volcanii. Furthermore, manipulation of the Agl pathway, together with the capability of Hfx. volcanii to N-glycosylate non-native proteins, forms the basis for establishing this species as a glyco-engineering platform. In the present review, these and other recent findings are addressed.