Publications

• Biosynthesis of heparin. Assay and properties of the microsomal uronosyl C-5 epimerase.

  Backstrom G., Hook M., Lindahl U., Feingold D.S., Malmstrom A., Roden L., Jacobsson I.

  J Biol Chem 254:2975-2982(1979) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Biosynthesis of heparin/heparan sulphate: mechanism of epimerization of glucuronyl C-5.

  Hagner-McWhirter A., Lindahl U., Li J.-P.

  In the biosynthesis of heparin and heparan sulphate, D-glucuronic acid residues are converted into L-iduronic acid (IdoA) units by C-5 epimerization, at the polymer level. The reaction catalysed by the epimerase occurs by reversible abstraction and readdition of a proton at C-5 of target hexuronic ... >> More

  In the biosynthesis of heparin and heparan sulphate, D-glucuronic acid residues are converted into L-iduronic acid (IdoA) units by C-5 epimerization, at the polymer level. The reaction catalysed by the epimerase occurs by reversible abstraction and readdition of a proton at C-5 of target hexuronic acid residues, through a carbanion intermediate, with or without an inversion of configuration at C-5 [Prihar, Campbell, Feingold, Jacobsson, Jensen, Lindahl and Rodén (1980) Biochemistry 19, 495-500]. Incubation of chemically N-sulphated capsular polysaccharide from Escherichia coli K5 ([4GlcAbeta1-4GlcNSO(3)alpha1-](n)), or of O-desulphated heparin (predominantly [4IdoAalpha1-4GlcNSO(3)alpha1-](n)) with purified C-5 epimerase from bovine liver, resulted in the interconversion of glucuronic acid and IdoA residues, which reached equilibrium (30-40% IdoA/total hexuronic acid) after approx. 1 h of incubation. Similar incubations performed in the presence of (3)H(2)O resulted in progressive labelling at C-5 of the target hexuronic acid units of either substrate polysaccharide. Contrary to chemical D-gluco/L-ido equilibrium, established within 1 h of incubation, the accumulation of (3)H label continued for at least 6 h. This isotope effect suggests that the second stage of the reaction, i.e. the re-addition of a proton to the carbanion intermediate, is the rate-limiting step of the overall process. Analysis of the 5-(3)H-labelled polysaccharide products showed that the (3)H was approximately equally distributed between glucuronic acid and IdoA units, irrespective of incubation time (from 15 min to 72 h) and of the relative proportions of the two epimers in the substrate. This finding points to a catalytic mechanism in which the abstraction and re-addition of C-5 protons are effected by two polyprotic bases, presumably lysine residues. Previous experiments relating to the biosynthesis of dermatan sulphate were similarly interpreted in terms of a two-base epimerization mechanism but differed from the present findings by implicating one monoprotic and one polyprotic base function [Hannesson, Hagner-McWhirter, Tiedemann, Lindahl and Malmström (1996) Biochem. J. 313, 589-596]. << Less

  Biochem. J. 347:69-75(2000) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Heparan sulfate C5-epimerase is essential for heparin biosynthesis in mast cells.

  Feyerabend T.B., Li J.P., Lindahl U., Rodewald H.R.

  Biosynthesis of heparin, a mast cell-derived glycosaminoglycan with widespread importance in medicine, has not been fully elucidated. In biosynthesis of heparan sulfate (HS), a structurally related polysaccharide, HS glucuronyl C5-epimerase (Hsepi) converts D-glucuronic acid (GlcA) to L-iduronic a ... >> More

  Biosynthesis of heparin, a mast cell-derived glycosaminoglycan with widespread importance in medicine, has not been fully elucidated. In biosynthesis of heparan sulfate (HS), a structurally related polysaccharide, HS glucuronyl C5-epimerase (Hsepi) converts D-glucuronic acid (GlcA) to L-iduronic acid (IdoA) residues. We have generated Hsepi-null mouse mutant mast cells, and we show that the same enzyme catalyzes the generation of IdoA in heparin and that 'heparin' lacking IdoA shows a distorted O-sulfation pattern. << Less

  Nat. Chem. Biol. 2:195-196(2006) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Cloning, Golgi localization, and enzyme activity of the full-length heparin/heparan sulfate-glucuronic acid C5-epimerase.

  Crawford B.E., Olson S.K., Esko J.D., Pinhal M.A.S.

  While studying the cellular localization and activity of enzymes involved in heparan sulfate biosynthesis, we discovered that the published sequence for the glucuronic acid C5-epimerase responsible for the interconversion of d-glucuronic acid and l-iduronic acid residues encodes a truncated protei ... >> More

  While studying the cellular localization and activity of enzymes involved in heparan sulfate biosynthesis, we discovered that the published sequence for the glucuronic acid C5-epimerase responsible for the interconversion of d-glucuronic acid and l-iduronic acid residues encodes a truncated protein. Genome analysis and 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends was used to clone the full-length cDNA from a mouse mastocytoma cell line. The extended cDNA encodes for an additional 174 amino acids at the amino terminus of the protein. The murine sequence is 95% identical to the human epimerase identified from genomic sequences and fits with the general size and structure of the gene from Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans. Full-length epimerase is predicted to have a type II transmembrane topology with a 17-amino acid transmembrane domain and an 11-amino acid cytoplasmic tail. An assay with increased sensitivity was devised that detects enzyme activity in extracts prepared from cultured cells and in recombinant proteins. Unlike other enzymes involved in glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis, the addition of a c-myc tag or green fluorescent protein to the highly conserved COOH-terminal portion of the protein inhibits its activity. The amino-terminally truncated epimerase does not localize to any cellular compartment, whereas the full-length enzyme is in the Golgi, where heparan sulfate synthesis is thought to occur. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 276:21538-21543(2001) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Using engineered 2-O-sulfotransferase to determine the activity of heparan sulfate C5-epimerase and its mutants.

  Li K., Bethea H.N., Liu J.

  Heparan sulfate (HS) is involved in essential physiological and pathophysiological functions. HS is a highly sulfated polysaccharide consisting of glucuronic acid (or iduronic acid) linked to glucosamine carrying various sulfo groups. Biosynthesis of HS involves sulfotransferases and an epimerase. ... >> More

  Heparan sulfate (HS) is involved in essential physiological and pathophysiological functions. HS is a highly sulfated polysaccharide consisting of glucuronic acid (or iduronic acid) linked to glucosamine carrying various sulfo groups. Biosynthesis of HS involves sulfotransferases and an epimerase. The HS C(5)-epimerase converts glucuronic acid to iduronic acid. The method for determining the activity has been cumbersome due to the use of a site-specifically (3)H-labeled polysaccharide substrate. Here, we report a two-enzyme coupling assay to determine the activity of C(5)-epimerase. HS 2-O-sulfotransferase (2OST) transfers the sulfo group to the 2-OH-position of glucuronic or iduronic acid. Unlike the wild type protein, 2-O-sulfotransferase mutant (2OST Y94I) transfers sulfate to the iduronic acid but not to the glucuronic acid. Thus, 2OST Y94I cannot sulfate N-sulfated heparosan, a polysaccharide containing glucuronic acid. Incubating N-sulfated heparosan with C(5)-epimerase converts some of the glucuronic acid to iduronic acid, thus becoming a substrate for 2OST Y94I. The susceptibility of the C(5)-epimerase-treated N-sulfated heparosan to 2OST Y94I modification directly correlates to the amount of the activity of C(5)-epimerase, proving that this two-enzyme coupling system can be used to assay for C(5)-epimerase. The method was further used to determine the activities of various C(5)-epimerase mutants. Our approach will significantly reduce the complexity for assaying the activity of C(5)-epimerase and facilitate the structural and functional analysis of C(5)-epimerase. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 285:11106-11113(2010) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Uncovering a biphasic catalytic mode of C5-epimerase in heparan sulfate biosynthesis.

  Sheng J., Xu Y., Dulaney S.B., Huang X., Liu J.

  Heparan sulfate (HS), a highly sulfated polysaccharide, is biosynthesized through a pathway involving several enzymes. C(5)-epimerase (C(5)-epi) is a key enzyme in this pathway. C(5)-epi is known for being a two-way catalytic enzyme, displaying a "reversible" catalytic mode by converting a glucuro ... >> More

  Heparan sulfate (HS), a highly sulfated polysaccharide, is biosynthesized through a pathway involving several enzymes. C(5)-epimerase (C(5)-epi) is a key enzyme in this pathway. C(5)-epi is known for being a two-way catalytic enzyme, displaying a "reversible" catalytic mode by converting a glucuronic acid to an iduronic acid residue, and vice versa. Here, we discovered that C(5)-epi can also serve as a one-way catalyst to convert a glucuronic acid to an iduronic acid residue, displaying an "irreversible" catalytic mode. Our data indicated that the reversible or irreversible catalytic mode strictly depends on the saccharide substrate structures. The biphasic mode of C(5)-epi offers a novel mechanism to regulate the biosynthesis of HS with the desired biological functions. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 287:20996-21002(2012) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]