Xylosyltransferase 1 is an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

that in humans is encoded by the ''XYLT1''

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

. Xylosyltransferase (XT; EC 2.4.2.26)

catalyzes Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

the transfer of UDP-xylose to

serine Serine (symbol Ser or S) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated − form under biological conditions), a carboxyl group (which is in the deprotonated − form un ...

residues within XT recognition sequences of target proteins. Addition of this

xylose Xylose ( grc, ξύλον, , "wood") is a sugar first isolated from wood, and named for it. Xylose is classified as a monosaccharide of the aldopentose type, which means that it contains five carbon atoms and includes an aldehyde functional gro ...

to the core protein is required for the biosynthesis of the

glycosaminoglycan Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) or mucopolysaccharides are long, linear polysaccharides consisting of repeating disaccharide units (i.e. two-sugar units). The repeating two-sugar unit consists of a uronic sugar and an amino sugar, except in the case ...

chains characteristic of

proteoglycan Proteoglycans are proteins that are heavily glycosylated. The basic proteoglycan unit consists of a "core protein" with one or more covalently attached glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chain(s). The point of attachment is a serine (Ser) residue to whic ...

s. upplied by OMIMref name="entrez" />

Clinical relevance

Baratela-Scott syndrome

In 2012 Baratela-Scott syndrome was identified in humans. A GGC repeat expansion, and

methylation In the chemical sciences, methylation denotes the addition of a methyl group on a substrate, or the substitution of an atom (or group) by a methyl group. Methylation is a form of alkylation, with a methyl group replacing a hydrogen atom. These t ...

exon An exon is any part of a gene that will form a part of the final mature RNA produced by that gene after introns have been removed by RNA splicing. The term ''exon'' refers to both the DNA sequence within a gene and to the corresponding sequen ...

1 of XYLT1 is a common pathogenic variant in Baratela-Scott syndrome. Patients with Bartarlla-Scott syndrome exhibit abnormal

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped *Photographi ...

of the

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

, characteristic facial features, and cognitive developmental delay. Skeletal problems include knee cap in the wrong position, short

long bones The long bones are those that are longer than they are wide. They are one of five types of bones: long, short, flat, irregular and sesamoid. Long bones, especially the femur and tibia, are subjected to most of the load during daily activities and ...

with mild changes to the narrow portion,

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

palm bones with stub thumbs, short thigh necks, shallow hip sockets, and

malformations A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at childbirth, birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disability, disabilities that may be physical disability, physical, intellect ...

of the spine. Characteristic facial features include a flattened midface with a broad

nasal bridge The nasal bridge is the upper, bony part of the human nose, which overlies the nasal bones. Association with epicanthic folds Low-rooted nasal bridges are closely associated with epicanthic folds. A lower nasal bridge is more likely to cause an ...

cleft palate A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle. A cleft palate occurs when the palate (the roof of the mouth) contains an opening into the nose. The te ...

, and

unibrow A unibrow (or jacco brow or monobrow; called synophrys in medicine) is a single eyebrow created when the two eyebrows meet in the middle above the bridge of the nose. The hair above the bridge of the nose is of the same color and thickness as t ...

. The syndrome also cause pre-school onset of a cognitive developmental delay, with a shortened attention span. Some of the cognitive delay is masked by a warm and engaging personality.

Axon extension

Neurons use the presence of extracellular matrix molecules as clues whether to promote or suppress extension of axons. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans suppress the extension of axons over the glial scar, a barrier which develops after lesioning the spinal cord. Proteoglycans consist of one relatively small protein core and attached large glycosaminoglycan side chains. To block the very formation of these side chains xylosyltransferase (XYLT1) which attaches xylose to a serine of the protein core as initiation for glycosaminoglycan chain extension, was targeted by a class of designed DNA molecules. These molecules are called DNA-enzymes which were designed to specifically cleave XYLT1 mRNA within cells. DNA-enzymes are readily taken up by mammalian cells, but are more stable and require much lower concentrations then siRNA. XTYL1 DNA-enzyme in co-cultures of neurons with neurocan secreting cells displayed a marked increase of axon outgrowth. Rats with defined spinal cord lesions, i.a. the clinically relevant contusion injury, treated with XTYL1 DNA-enzyme administered by micro-infusion pumps or systemically achieved improvements in the horizontal ladder task, enhanced axonal plasticity, growth of the corticospinal tract, no effect on neuropathic pain when using mechanical and thermal allodynia tests and no toxicological or pathological side effects compared to control animals.

Clinical relevance

Baratela-Scott syndrome

Axon extension

References

Further reading