Michael Lazarus

Structure of human O-GlcNAc transferase and its complex with a peptide substrate.

The essential mammalian enzyme O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine transferase (O-GlcNAc transferase, here OGT) couples metabolic status to the regulation of a wide variety of cellular signalling pathways by acting as a nutrient sensor. OGT catalyses the transfer of N-acetylglucosamine from UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) to serines and threonines of cytoplasmic, nuclear and mitochondrial proteins, including numerous transcription factors, tumour suppressors, kinases, phosphatases and histone-modifying proteins. Aberrant glycosylation by OGT has been linked to insulin resistance, diabetic complications, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s. Despite the importance of OGT, the details of how it recognizes and glycosylates its protein substrates are largely unknown. We report here two crystal structures of human OGT, as a binary complex with UDP (2.8u2009Å resolution) and as a ternary complex with UDP and a peptide substrate (1.95u2009Å). The structures provide clues to the enzyme mechanism, show how OGT recognizes target peptide sequences, and reveal the fold of the unique domain between the two halves of the catalytic region. This information will accelerate the rational design of biological experiments to investigate OGT’s functions; it will also help the design of inhibitors for use as cellular probes and help to assess its potential as a therapeutic target.

Structural snapshots of the reaction coordinate for O-GlcNAc transferase

Visualization of the reaction coordinate undertaken by glycosyltransferases has remained elusive, but is critical for understanding this important class of enzyme. Using substrates and substrate mimics, we describe structural snapshots of all species along the kinetic pathway for human O-GlcNAc transferase, an intracellular enzyme that catalyzes installation of a dynamic post-translational modification. The structures reveal key features of the mechanism and show that substrate participation is important during catalysis.

HCF-1 is cleaved in the active site of O-GlcNAc transferase.

Dual-Duty Active Site O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) catalyzes the addition of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNac) to serine or threonine residues, influencing the localization and function of proteins. Because its activity is sensitive to the nutrient uridine diphosphate (UDP)–GlcNac, OGT has been proposed to regulate cellular responses to nutrient status. Recently, OGT in the presence of UDP-GlcNac was shown to cleave host cell factor–1 (HCF-1), a transcriptional coregulator of human cell-cycle progression. This cleavage is required for HCF-1 maturation. Through a combination of structural, biochemical, and mutagenesis studies, Lazarus et al. (p. 1235) show that both cleavage and glycosylation of HCF-1 occur in the OGT active site. Cleavage occurs between cysteine and glutamine and converts the glutamine into a serine which can then be glycosylated. A protein involved in cell-cycle regulation is proteolytically activated and glycosylated by a nutrient-sensitive enzyme. Host cell factor–1 (HCF-1), a transcriptional co-regulator of human cell-cycle progression, undergoes proteolytic maturation in which any of six repeated sequences is cleaved by the nutrient-responsive glycosyltransferase, O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) transferase (OGT). We report that the tetratricopeptide-repeat domain of O-GlcNAc transferase binds the carboxyl-terminal portion of an HCF-1 proteolytic repeat such that the cleavage region lies in the glycosyltransferase active site above uridine diphosphate–GlcNAc. The conformation is similar to that of a glycosylation-competent peptide substrate. Cleavage occurs between cysteine and glutamate residues and results in a pyroglutamate product. Conversion of the cleavage site glutamate into serine converts an HCF-1 proteolytic repeat into a glycosylation substrate. Thus, protein glycosylation and HCF-1 cleavage occur in the same active site.

A neutral diphosphate mimic crosslinks the active site of human O-GlcNAc transferase

Glycosyltransferases (Gtfs) catalyze the formation of a diverse array of glycoconjugates. Small molecule inhibitors to manipulate Gtf activity in cells have long been sought as tools to understand Gtf function. Success has been limited due to challenges in designing inhibitors that mimic the negatively-charged diphosphate substrates. Here we report the mechanism of action of a small molecule that inhibits O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), an essential human enzyme that modulates cell signaling pathways by catalyzing a unique intracellular post translational modification, β-O-GlcNAcylation. The molecule contains a five heteroatom dicarbamate core that functions as a neutral diphosphate mimic. One dicarbamate carbonyl reacts with an essential active site lysine that anchors the diphosphate of the nucleotide-sugar substrate. The lysine adduct reacts again with a nearby cysteine to crosslink the OGT active site. While this unprecedented mechanism reflects the unique architecture of the OGT active site, related dicarbamate scaffolds may inhibit other enzymes that bind diphosphate containing substrates.

Decoupling catalytic activity from biological function of the ATPase that powers lipopolysaccharide transport.

Significance Gram-negative bacteria contain an unusual outer membrane that prevents the entry of most currently available antibiotics. This membrane contains a complex glycolipid, LPS, on the exterior. It is not understood how such a large molecule, which can contain hundreds of sugars and six fatty acyl chains, is transported across the cell envelope from its site of synthesis in the cytoplasmic membrane to the cell surface. Using a combination of genetics, biochemistry, and structural biology, we characterized residues in the protein that powers LPS transport to gain mechanistic insight into how ATP hydrolysis is coupled to the biological function of the transporter. These tools help us understand how to design antibiotics targeting this essential pathway. The cell surface of Gram-negative bacteria contains lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which provide a barrier against the entry of many antibiotics. LPS assembly involves a multiprotein LPS transport (Lpt) complex that spans from the cytoplasm to the outer membrane. In this complex, an unusual ATP-binding cassette transporter is thought to power the extraction of LPS from the outer leaflet of the cytoplasmic membrane and its transport across the cell envelope. We introduce changes into the nucleotide-binding domain, LptB, that inactivate transporter function in vivo. We characterize these residues using biochemical experiments combined with high-resolution crystal structures of LptB pre- and post-ATP hydrolysis and suggest a role for an active site residue in phosphate exit. We also identify a conserved residue that is not required for ATPase activity but is essential for interaction with the transmembrane components. Our studies establish the essentiality of ATP hydrolysis by LptB to power LPS transport in cells and suggest strategies to inhibit transporter function away from the LptB active site.

A Longitudinal Study of Bone Disease after Successful Renal Transplantation

A retrospective study of 100 patients followed for 1-4 years after successful renal transplantation was undertaken to assess the amelioration of previously present metabolic bone disease and to determine the risk factors associated with the development of osteonecrosis. 42% of patients showed some evidence of bony abnormality. Following transplantation, there was slow but progressive resolution in the X-ray changes of hyperparathyroidism but not of osteoporosis. 14% of patients developed osteonecrosis in the posttransplant period with the femoral head the most common site involved (72% of patients). Osteonecrosis could not be related to average steroid dose, number of steroid pulses, or the preexistence of metabolic bone disease.

The long-term follow-up of 195 patients with renal failure: a preliminary report.

Radiographic and bone mineral (BM) data were collected over a three-year period on 195 patients with chronic renal failure. Most women maintained BM on dyalysis, whereas 44% of the men lost BM (p less than 0.05). Following transplantation, 86% of the patients either maintained or restored BM. After parathyroidectomy, only half of the women and 34% of the men gained BM. Normal radiographs may be associated with low BM values, but there is a correlation between decreasing BM and increasing renal osteodystrophy in women (p less than 0.05).

The Antibiotic Novobiocin Binds and Activates the ATPase That Powers Lipopolysaccharide Transport

Novobiocin is an orally active antibiotic that inhibits DNA gyrase by binding the ATP-binding site in the ATPase subunit. Although effective against Gram-positive pathogens, novobiocin has limited activity against Gram-negative organisms due to the presence of the lipopolysaccharide-containing outer membrane, which acts as a permeability barrier. Using a novobiocin-sensitive Escherichia coli strain with a leaky outer membrane, we identified a mutant with increased resistance to novobiocin. Unexpectedly, the mutation that increases novobiocin resistance was not found to alter gyrase, but the ATPase that powers lipopolysaccharide (LPS) transport. Co-crystal structures, biochemical, and genetic evidence show novobiocin directly binds this ATPase. Novobiocin does not bind the ATP binding site but rather the interface between the ATPase subunits and the transmembrane subunits of the LPS transporter. This interaction increases the activity of the LPS transporter, which in turn alters the permeability of the outer membrane. We propose that novobiocin will be a useful tool for understanding how ATP hydrolysis is coupled to LPS transport.

Abstract 1267: Metabolic sensor O-GlcNAc Transferase is a novel regulator of prostate cancer invasion and angiogenesis via regulation of FoxM1

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FLnnCancer cells universally increase glucose and glutamine consumption, leading to the altered metabolic state known as the Warburg effect. One metabolic pathway highly dependent on glucose and glutamine is the Hexosamine Biosynthetic Pathway (HBP). Increased flux through the HBP leads to increases in the post-translational addition of O-linked-β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) on a diverse population of nuclear and cytosolic proteins. A number of these target proteins are implicated in cancer, yet the role of O-GlcNAc modifications in cancer remains poorly defined. Here, we show that OGT is overexpressed in prostate cancer tissue compared to normal prostate epithelium and, that OGT protein and O-GlcNAc levels are elevated in prostate carcinoma cell lines compared to non-transformed prostate cells. Decreasing O-GlcNAc levels using OGT-targeted RNAi in the metastatic prostate cancer cell line PC3-ML inhibited growth in three-dimensional (3D) culture, as well as decreased colony formation in soft agar assays. Furthermore, decreasing O-GlcNAc levels was also associated with cell cycle arrest at G1 and increased expression of the CDK inhibitors p27 and p21. However, reducing O-GlcNAc levels in the non-tumorigenic prostate epithelial cell line RWPE-1 had minimal effects on growth in 3D culture. In addition to growth inhibition, reducing O-GlcNAcation in PC3-ML cells was associated with reduced expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), resulting in the inhibition of invasion and angiogenesis. OGT regulation of invasion and angiogenesis was dependent upon regulation of the oncogenic transcription factor FoxM1, as reducing OGT expression led to increased FoxM1 proteasomal degradation. Moreover, overexpression of a FoxM1 degradation-resistant mutant abrogated OGT RNAi inhibition of invasion, MMP levels, as well as angiogenesis and VEGF expression. Finally, the use of novel second-generation small molecule inhibitor of OGT led to the similar reduction in growth, invasion and inhibition of MMPs and VEGF levels. Current experiments are underway to test whether targeting OGT blocks prostate cancer metastasis. Altogether, these data suggest that as prostate cancer cells alter glucose and glutamine levels, O-GlcNAcation serves as nutrient sensitive modification contributing to oncogenesis and suggest that OGT is positioned as a novel target for therapeutic intervention for the treatment of human prostate cancer.nnCitation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1267. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1267