Galactosylgalactosylxylosylprotein 3-beta-glucuronosyltransferase 2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the B3GAT2gene.[5][6]
The product of this gene is a transmembrane protein belonging to the glucuronyltransferase family, and catalyzes the transfer of a beta-1,3 linked glucuronic acid to a terminal galactose in different glycoproteins or glycolipids containing a Gal-beta-1-4GlcNAc or Gal-beta-1-3GlcNAc residue. The encoded protein is involved in the synthesis of the human natural killer-1 (HNK-1) carbohydrate epitope, a sulfated trisaccharide implicated in cellular migration and adhesion in the nervous system.[6]
Antibodies raised against the HNK-1 epitope have played a large role in studies of the neural crest, especially in the avian embryo.[7] The first antibody raised against this epitope was NC-1,[8] which permitted much easier analyses of neural crest migration pathways. In avians, and especially in other vertebrates, the results of HNK-1 staining should be interpreted with caution as the epitope is not unique to the neural crest.
^"Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^"Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^Imiya K, Ishizaki T, Seiki T, Saito F, Inazawa J, Oka S, Kawasaki T (Oct 2002). "cDNA cloning, genomic structure and chromosomal mapping of the mouse glucuronyltransferase-S involved in the biosynthesis of the HNK-1 carbohydrate epitope". Gene. 296 (1–2): 29–36. doi:10.1016/S0378-1119(02)00840-5. PMID12383500.
^Bronner-Fraser M (May 1986). "Analysis of the early stages of trunk neural crest migration in avian embryos using monoclonal antibody HNK-1". Dev. Biol. 115 (1): 44–55. doi:10.1016/0012-1606(86)90226-5. PMID3516760.
^Vincent M, Thiery JP (June 1984). "A cell surface marker for neural crest and placodal cells: further evolution in peripheral and central nervous system". Dev. Biol. 103 (2): 468–81. doi:10.1016/0012-1606(84)90334-8. PMID6202575.
PDBe-KB provides an overview of all the structure information available in the PDB for Human Galactosylgalactosylxylosylprotein 3-beta-glucuronosyltransferase 2 (B3GAT2)
Kakuda S, Oka S, Kawasaki T (2004). "Purification and characterization of two recombinant human glucuronyltransferases involved in the biosynthesis of HNK-1 carbohydrate in Escherichia coli". Protein Expr. Purif. 35 (1): 111–9. doi:10.1016/j.pep.2003.12.021. PMID15039073.
Shiba T, Kakuda S, Ishiguro M, et al. (2006). "Crystal structure of GlcAT-S, a human glucuronyltransferase, involved in the biosynthesis of the HNK-1 carbohydrate epitope". Proteins. 65 (2): 499–508. doi:10.1002/prot.21118. PMID16897771. S2CID31290955.
