Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Exploring the Glycans of Euglena Gracilis

Version 1 : Received: 7 November 2017 / Approved: 8 November 2017 / Online: 8 November 2017 (04:05:43 CET)
Version 2 : Received: 15 December 2017 / Approved: 17 December 2017 / Online: 17 December 2017 (08:55:09 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

O’Neill, E.C.; Kuhaudomlarp, S.; Rejzek, M.; Fangel, J.U.; Alagesan, K.; Kolarich, D.; Willats, W.G.T.; Field, R.A. Exploring the Glycans of Euglena gracilis. Biology 2017, 6, 45. O’Neill, E.C.; Kuhaudomlarp, S.; Rejzek, M.; Fangel, J.U.; Alagesan, K.; Kolarich, D.; Willats, W.G.T.; Field, R.A. Exploring the Glycans of Euglena gracilis. Biology 2017, 6, 45.

Abstract

Euglena gracilis is an alga of great biotechnological interest and extensive metabolic capacity, able to make high levels of bioactive compounds, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and β-glucan. Previous work has shown that Euglena expresses a wide range of carbohydrate-active enzymes, suggesting an unexpectedly high capacity for the synthesis of complex carbohydrates for a single celled organism. Here we present an analysis of some of the carbohydrates synthesised by Euglena gracilis. Analysis of the sugar nucleotide pool showed that there are the substrates necessary for synthesis of complex polysaccharides, including the unusual sugar galactofuranose. Lectin- and antibody-based profiling of whole cells and extracted carbohydrates revealed a complex galactan, xylan and aminosugar based surface. Protein N-glycan profiling, however, indicated that just simple high mannose-type glycans are present and that they are partially modified with putative aminoethylphosphonate moieties. Together, these data indicate that Euglena possesses a complex glycan surface, unrelated to plant cell walls, while its’ protein glycosylation is simple. Taken together, these findings suggest that Euglena gracilis may lend itself to production of pharmaceutical glycoproteins.

Keywords

algae; Euglena; biotechnology; carbohydrates; N-glycan; sugar nucleotide

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0


×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.