A sugary hat trick
December 11, 2024 by ferniglab
The Sulfation challenge of Essays in Biochemistry is out. This has its origins within the wonderful September 2023 SUPA 2023 assembly, supported by the Biochemical Society and organised by Jon Mueller and colleagues. Your entire quantity is price studying, because it covers lots of new floor and concepts, beginning with the sulfate anion itself in physiology via to sulfated mobile merchandise.
Our personal contribution was a evaluation on the interactions of heparan sulfate with proteins and one on polysaccharide sulfotransferases. It has been 16 years since we wrote a evaluation on the primary matter and since there have been substantial advances. We took the chance to construct up from the fundamentals to some new(ish) concepts on the selectivity of those interactions and the way they might management the diffusion of heparan sulfate-binding proteins within the extracellular house. Polysaccharide sulfotransferases are just about terra incognita. They happen throughout the Tree of Life, but nearly all of our knowledge are on the mammalian Golgi enzymes; putative enzymes are the overwhelming majority on this area!
In the summertime I began my engagement with Dulce Papy-Garcia’s division in UPEC; my relationship to the division goes again to the mid Nineteen Nineties and I’ve at all times discovered it to be a most stimulating setting. It transpired that her Group had undertaken a large evaluation of the enzymes concerned in heparan sulfate biosynthesis and from that had elaborated an thrilling new speculation relating to its regulation, which amongst different issues defined the counter intuitive phenotypes of quite a lot of genetic issues. I emailed Jon Mueller to ask if there was nonetheless house within the sulfation challenge of Essays in Biochemistry – there was, so with Dulce we set about knocking their evaluation into the form of a evaluation. The outcome was the third evaluation which gives a new mannequin to clarify the phenotypes that outcome from genetic variation within the genes encoding the enzymes and transporters concerned in heparan sulfate proteoglycan biosynthesis.
Opinions at Essays in Biochemistry are subjected to look evaluation, and for all three of those opinions the feedback had been each incisive and helpful, permitting us to enhance the articles. So a thanks to the reviewers for taking the time to learn our submissions and supply us with the good thing about your concepts and insights. One other nice plus is that Portland Press’ digital proofing system is a pleasure.
Opinions do take a considerable effort, so now it’s time to return to these drafts of main analysis papers and end them!
