A glycomic approach to the identification and characterization of glycoprotein function in cells transfected with glycosyltransferase genes

The transfection of glycoprotein glycosyltransferase genes into cells leads to modification of both the structure and function of the glycoproteins an d as a result, changes in glycome patterns. N-glycan branching enzymes hold some promise as a model system for the identification of glycome patterns. Both N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase III and alpha1-6 fucosyltransferase a re typical glycosyltransferases, which are involved in the branching of N-g lycans. The resulting enzymatic products, bisecting N-GlcNAc and alpha1-6 f ucose residues, are no longer modified by other glycosyltransferases and it is a relatively simple task to identify their modification by means of lec tins. In this review, the glycome patterns of glycosyltransferase gene tran sfectants and the non-transfectants were compared by two-dimensional gel el ectrophoresis and lectin staining, and the biological significance of the t wo genes are described. Analyses of glycome patterns by transfecting glycos yltransferase genes will lead to new fields of study in the area of postgen ome research.