Alpha-(1,6)-fucosyltransferase is an
enzyme
An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''FUT8''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
.
This enzyme belongs to the family of
fucosyltransferase
A fucosyltransferase is an enzyme that transfers an L-fucose sugar from a GDP-fucose (guanosine diphosphate-fucose) donor substrate to an acceptor substrate. The acceptor substrate can be another sugar such as the transfer of a fucose to a core ...
s. The product of this gene catalyzes the transfer of
fucose
Fucose is a hexose deoxy sugar with the chemical formula C6H12O5. It is found on ''N''-linked glycans on the mammalian, insect and plant cell surface. Fucose is the fundamental sub-unit of the seaweed polysaccharide fucoidan. The α(1→3) l ...
from GDP-fucose to N-linked type complex
glycopeptide
Glycopeptides are peptides that contain carbohydrate moieties ( glycans) covalently attached to the side chains of the amino acid residues that constitute the peptide.
Over the past few decades it has been recognised that glycans on cell surf ...
s. This enzyme is distinct from other fucosyltransferases which catalyze alpha1-2, alpha1-3, and alpha1-4 fucose addition. The expression of this gene may contribute to the malignancy of cancer cells and to their invasive and metastatic capabilities. Alternatively spliced variants encoding different isoforms have been identified.
Kyowa Hakko Kirin
is a Japanese pharmaceutical and biotechnology company under the Kirin Holdings, and is among the 40 largest in the world by revenue. The company is headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo and is a member of the Nikkei 225 stock index.
History
On ...
's "Potelligent" platform uses a
CHO cell line in which ''FUT8'' has been knocked out to make
afucosylated monoclonal antibodies.
References
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External links
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