Disease relevance of B4GALT5

• A cDNA encoding a beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase named beta-1,4-GalT II was cloned from a cDNA library of the human breast tumor cell line, MRK-nu-1 [1].
• Introduction of the antisense beta-1,4-GalT II and V cDNAs separately into human colorectal adenocarcinoma SW480 cells, in which beta-1,4-GalT I, II, and V genes were expressed, resulted in the reduction of RCA-I binding toward N-linked oligosaccharides of the membrane glycoproteins [2].
• In order to assess the function of the different human UDP-Gal:GlcNAc beta4-galactosyltransferases, the cDNAs of two of them, beta4-GalT I and beta4-GalT V, were expressed in the baculovirus/insect cell expression system [3].

High impact information on B4GALT5

• Study of the properties of the beta-1,4-GalT II fused to protein A expressed as a soluble form in COS-7 cells revealed that it is a genuine beta-1,4-GalT but has no lactose synthetase activity in the presence of alpha-lactalbumin [1].
• Beta4-GalT V acts with high preference on acceptors that contain the GlcNAc beta1-->6GalNAc structural element, as found in O-linked core 2-, 4- and 6-based glycans, but not on substrates related to V-linked or blood group I-active oligosaccharides [3].
• Three functional candidate genes (B4GALT5, KCNB1, and PTGIS) were sequenced [4].
• Analysis of the enzymatic background of senescence showed 1.5 times higher beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase (beta-1,4-GalT) activity and 2-5 times higher expression levels of beta-1,4-GalT II, III, V, and VI genes are associated with rapid senescence [5].

Biological context of B4GALT5

• No mutations were discovered in the coding regions of these three genes and the promoter regions of B4GALT5 and KCNB1 genes [4].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of B4GALT5

• Northern blot analysis of 24 human tissues showed that they all express the beta-1,4-GalT II transcript, although the levels varied [1].

References