Structure of the yeast oligosaccharyltransferase complex gives insight into eukaryotic N-glycosylation

Oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) is an essential membrane protein complex in the endoplasmic reticulum, where it transfers an oligosaccharide from a dolichol-pyrophosphate–activated donor to glycosylation sites of secretory proteins. Here we describe the atomic structure of yeast OST determined by cryo–electron microscopy, revealing a conserved subunit arrangement. The active site of the catalytic STT3 subunit points away from the center of the complex, allowing unhindered access to substrates. The dolichol-pyrophosphate moiety binds to a lipid-exposed groove of STT3, whereas two noncatalytic subunits and an ordered N-glycan form a membrane-proximal pocket for the oligosaccharide. The acceptor polypeptide site faces an oxidoreductase domain in stand-alone OST complexes or is immediately adjacent to the translocon, suggesting how eukaryotic OSTs efficiently glycosylate a large number of polypeptides before their folding.

Source: ScienceNOW - February 1, 2018 Category: Science Authors: Wild, R., Kowal, J., Eyring, J., Ngwa, E. M., Aebi, M., Locher, K. P. Tags: Biochemistry r-articles Source Type: news