Protein O-fucosyltransferase 1 (Pofut1) regulates lymphoid and myeloid homeostasis through modulation of Notch receptor ligand interactions

Blood. 2011 May 26;117(21):5652-62. doi: 10.1182/blood-2010-12-326074. Epub 2011 Apr 4.

Abstract

Notch signaling is essential for lymphocyte development and is also implicated in myelopoiesis. Notch receptors are modified by O-fucosylation catalyzed by protein O-fucosyltransferase 1 (Pofut1). Fringe enzymes add N-acetylglucosamine to O-fucose and modify Notch signaling by altering the sensitivity of Notch receptors to Notch ligands. To address physiologic functions in hematopoiesis of Notch modified by O-fucose glycans, we examined mice with inducible inactivation of Pofut1 using Mx-Cre. These mice exhibited a reduction in T lymphopoiesis and in the production of marginal-zone B cells, in addition to myeloid hyperplasia. Restoration of Notch1 signaling rescued T lymphopoiesis and the marrow myeloid hyperplasia. After marrow transfer, both cell-autonomous and environmental cues were found to contribute to lymphoid developmental defects and myeloid hyperplasia in Pofut1-deleted mice. Although Pofut1 deficiency slightly decreased cell surface expression of Notch1 and Notch2, it completely abrogated the binding of Notch receptors with Delta-like Notch ligands and suppressed downstream Notch target activation, indicating that O-fucose glycans are critical for efficient Notch-ligand binding that transduce Notch signals. The combined data support a key role for the O-fucose glycans generated by Pofut1 in Notch regulation of hematopoietic homeostasis through modulation of Notch-ligand interactions.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bone Marrow Transplantation
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Fucose / metabolism
  • Fucosyltransferases / physiology*
  • Homeostasis / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Hydro-Lyases / metabolism
  • Hyperplasia / enzymology
  • Hyperplasia / pathology
  • Integrases / metabolism
  • Ligands
  • Lymphopoiesis / physiology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Myelopoiesis / physiology*
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • Receptors, Notch / genetics
  • Receptors, Notch / metabolism*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction
  • T-Lymphocytes / enzymology
  • T-Lymphocytes / pathology

Substances

  • Ligands
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Receptors, Notch
  • Fucose
  • Fucosyltransferases
  • Pofut1 protein, mouse
  • Cre recombinase
  • Integrases
  • Hydro-Lyases
  • GDPmannose 4,6-dehydratase