Versatile O-GlcNAc transferase assay for high-throughput identification of enzyme variants, substrates, and inhibitors

Bioconjug Chem. 2014 Jun 18;25(6):1025-30. doi: 10.1021/bc5001774. Epub 2014 Jun 2.

Abstract

The dynamic glycosylation of serine/threonine residues on nucleocytoplasmic proteins with a single N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAcylation) is critical for many important cellular processes. Cellular O-GlcNAc levels are highly regulated by two enzymes: O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is responsible for GlcNAc addition and O-GlcNAcase (OGA) is responsible for removal of the sugar. The lack of a rapid and simple method for monitoring OGT activity has impeded the efficient discovery of potent OGT inhibitors. In this study we describe a novel, single-well OGT enzyme assay that utilizes 6 × His-tagged substrates, a chemoselective chemical reaction, and unpurified OGT. The high-throughput Ni-NTA Plate OGT Assay will facilitate discovery of potent OGT-specific inhibitors on versatile substrates and the characterization of new enzyme variants.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Enzyme Assays*
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Molecular Structure
  • N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases / metabolism*
  • Nickel / chemistry
  • Organometallic Compounds / chemistry
  • Organometallic Compounds / pharmacology*
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Substrate Specificity / drug effects
  • beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidases / metabolism

Substances

  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Organometallic Compounds
  • Nickel
  • N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases
  • O-GlcNAc transferase
  • beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidases