The Caenorhabditis elegans genes sqv-2 and sqv-6, which are required for vulval morphogenesis, encode glycosaminoglycan galactosyltransferase II and xylosyltransferase

Ho Yon Hwang, Sara K. Olson, Jillian R. Brown, Jeffrey D. Esko, H. Robert Horvitz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

61 Scopus citations

Abstract

In mutants defective in any of eight Caenorhabditis elegans sqv (squashed vulva) genes, the vulval extracellular space fails to expand during vulval morphogenesis. Strong sqv mutations result in maternal-effect lethality, caused in part by the failure of the progeny of homozygous mutants to initiate cytokinesis and associated with the failure to form an extracellular space between the egg and the eggshell. Recent studies have implicated glycosaminoglycans in these processes. Here we report the cloning and characterization of sqv-2 and sqv-6. sqv-6 encodes a protein similar to human xylosyltransferases. Transfection of sqv-6 restored xylosyltransferase activity to and rescued the glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis defect of a xylosyltransferase mutant hamster cell line. sqv-2 encodes a protein similar to human galactosyltransferase II. A recombinant SQV-2 fusion protein had galactosyltransferase II activity with substrate specificity similar to that of human galactosyltransferase II. We conclude that C. elegans SQV-6 and SQV-2 likely act in concert with other SQV proteins to catalyze the stepwise formation of the proteoglycan core protein linkage tetrasaccharide GlcAβ1,3Galβ1, 3Galβ1,4Xylβ-O-(Ser), which is common to the two major types of glycosaminoglycans in vertebrates, chondroitin and heparan sulfate. Our results strongly support a model in which C. elegans vulval morphogenesis and zygotic cytokinesis depend on the expression of glycosaminoglycans.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)11735-11738
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Biological Chemistry
Volume278
Issue number14
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 4 2003
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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