Brain glycogen serves as a critical glucosamine cache required for protein glycosylation

Ramon C. Sun, Lyndsay E.A. Young, Ronald C. Bruntz, Kia H. Markussen, Zhengqiu Zhou, Lindsey R. Conroy, Tara R. Hawkinson, Harrison A. Clarke, Alexandra E. Stanback, Jessica K.A. Macedo, Shane Emanuelle, M. Kathryn Brewer, Alberto L. Rondon, Annette Mestas, William C. Sanders, Krishna K. Mahalingan, Buyun Tang, Vimbai M. Chikwana, Dyann M. Segvich, Christopher J. ContrerasElizabeth J. Allenger, Christine F. Brainson, Lance A. Johnson, Richard E. Taylor, Dustin D. Armstrong, Robert Shaffer, Charles J. Waechter, Craig W. Vander Kooi, Anna A. DePaoli-Roach, Peter J. Roach, Thomas D. Hurley, Richard R. Drake, Matthew S. Gentry

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Glycosylation defects are a hallmark of many nervous system diseases. However, the molecular and metabolic basis for this pathology is not fully understood. In this study, we found that N-linked protein glycosylation in the brain is metabolically channeled to glucosamine metabolism through glycogenolysis. We discovered that glucosamine is an abundant constituent of brain glycogen, which functions as a glucosamine reservoir for multiple glycoconjugates. We demonstrated the enzymatic incorporation of glucosamine into glycogen by glycogen synthase, and the release by glycogen phosphorylase by biochemical and structural methodologies, in primary astrocytes, and in vivo by isotopic tracing and mass spectrometry. Using two mouse models of glycogen storage diseases, we showed that disruption of brain glycogen metabolism causes global decreases in free pools of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine and N-linked protein glycosylation. These findings revealed fundamental biological roles of brain glycogen in protein glycosylation with direct relevance to multiple human diseases of the central nervous system.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1404-1417.e9
JournalCell Metabolism
Volume33
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 6 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We would like to thank Dr. Yokota for providing the anti-PGB antibody, Vander Kooi and Gentry lab members for vigorous discussions regarding the work, Mrs. Dana Napier for performing immunohistochemistry on tissue slices, and the Markey Cancer Center. The authors thank Nancy R. Gough (BioSerendipity, LLC) for editorial support. This study was supported by National Institute of Health (NIH) grants R35 NS116824 and P01 NS097197 to M.S.G.; NIH grant R01 AG066653 , St Baldrick’s Career Development Award, V-Scholar Grant, and Rally Foundation Independent Investigator grant to R.C.S.; R01 DK27221 to P.J.R.; and NIH 5R01AG06255002 to L.A.J. J.K.A.M. and L.R.C. were supported by NIH / NCI training grant T32CA165990 . This research was also supported by funding from the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center and the NIH -funded biospecimen Procurement & Translational Pathology Shared Resource Facility of the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center ( P30CA177558 ). We also acknowledge partial support of this work through the University of Notre Dame Reisenauer Family GSD Research Fund.

Funding Information:
We would like to thank Dr. Yokota for providing the anti-PGB antibody, Vander Kooi and Gentry lab members for vigorous discussions regarding the work, Mrs. Dana Napier for performing immunohistochemistry on tissue slices, and the Markey Cancer Center. The authors thank Nancy R. Gough (BioSerendipity, LLC) for editorial support. This study was supported by National Institute of Health (NIH) grants R35 NS116824 and P01 NS097197 to M.S.G.; NIH grant R01 AG066653, St Baldrick's Career Development Award, V-Scholar Grant, and Rally Foundation Independent Investigator grant to R.C.S.; R01 DK27221 to P.J.R.; and NIH 5R01AG06255002 to L.A.J. J.K.A.M. and L.R.C. were supported by NIH/NCI training grant T32CA165990. This research was also supported by funding from the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center and the NIH-funded biospecimen Procurement & Translational Pathology Shared Resource Facility of the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center (P30CA177558). We also acknowledge partial support of this work through the University of Notre Dame Reisenauer Family GSD Research Fund. Conceptualization, R.C.S. and M.S.G.; methodology, R.C.S. M.S.G. and R.R.D.; investigation, R.C.S. L.E.A.Y. A.E.S. R.C.B. K.H.M. Z.Q.Z. J.K.A.M. S.E. M.K.B. A.L.R. W.C.S. K.K.M. B.T. V.M.C. D.M.S. C.J.C. E.J.A. C.F.B. L.A.J. R.E.T. C.W.V.K. C.W. A.A.D.R. P.J.R. T.D.H. L.R.C. and R.R.D.; writing ? original draft, R.C.S. and M.S.G.; writing ? review & editing, R.C.S. C.W.V.K. A.A.D.R. P.J.R. C.J.W. and M.S.G.; funding acquisition, R.C.S. and M.S.G.; resources, R.C.S. and M.S.G.; supervision, R.C.S. and M.S.G. M.S.G. is a consultant for Maze Therapeutics, Enable Therapeutics, Glut1-Deficiency Syndrome Foundation, and Chelsea's Hope. M.S.G. R.C.S. C.W.V.K. and R.C.B. are founders of Atterogen, LLC.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Inc.

Keywords

  • Lafora disease
  • MALDI imaging
  • N-linked glycosylation
  • antibody-enzyme therapy
  • brain metabolism
  • childhood dementia
  • glucosamine
  • glycogen metabolism
  • glycogen storage disease
  • polyglucosan body

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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