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Glycosyltransferases

Carb loading strategy is spot on

Nature Chemical Biology volume 8, pages 741–742 (2012)Cite this article

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Glycosyltransferases, enzymes that catalyze glycosidic bond formation, are one of the most important but least well-characterized protein families found in nature. A new label-free, high-throughput glycan array–based strategy enables rapid profiling of tens of thousands of potential glycosyltransferase reactions.

'Carb loading', short for carbohydrate loading, is a strategy used by athletes to maximize endurance during strenuous physical exercise. By consuming large amounts of carbohydrate-rich foods, such as pasta, before a long workout, individuals can increase energy reserves and improve their performance. Although this strategy is intended to enhance glycogen storage within the body, these athletes may not be aware of the multitude of ways that carbohydrates can be 'loaded' onto biomolecules, with consequences across a myriad of biological processes beyond energy storage, such as protein folding, protein trafficking, cell-cell adhesion and inflammation. Interestingly, the key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of carbohydrates, glycosyltransferases, are one of the least well-characterized families of proteins. To address this deficiency, Ban et al.1 have developed a high-throughput, array-based strategy that enables rapid analysis of potential glycosyltransferase reactions on an unprecedented scale.

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Figure 1: Glycan array–based strategy for high-throughput analysis of glycosyltransferase activity.

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  1. Jeffrey C. Gildersleeve is at Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, USA,

    Jeffrey C Gildersleeve

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  1. Jeffrey C Gildersleeve
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Correspondence to Jeffrey C Gildersleeve.

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The author declares no competing financial interests.

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Gildersleeve, J. Carb loading strategy is spot on. Nat Chem Biol 8, 741–742 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.1049

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