Pre-NOTCH Processing in Golgi

Processing of mammalian NOTCH precursors in the Golgi typically involves the cleavage by FURIN convertase. Pre-NOTCH is a ~300 kDa protein, and cleavage by FURIN produces two fragments with approximate sizes of 110 kDa and 180 kDa. The 110 kDa fragment contains the transmembrane and intracellular domains of NOTCH and is known as NTM or NTMICD. The 189 kDa fragment contains NOTCH extracellular sequence and is known as NEC or NECD. The NTM and NEC fragments heterodimerize and are held together by disulfide bonds and calcium ions.

An optional step in Pre-NOTCH processing in the Golgi is modification by fringe enzymes. Fringe enzymes are glycosyl transferases that initiate elongation of O-linked fucose on fucosylated peptides by addition of a beta 1,3 N-acetylglucosaminyl group, resulting in formation of disaccharide chains on NOTCH EGF repeats (GlcNAc-bet1,3-fucitol). Three fringe enzymes are known in mammals: LFNG (lunatic fringe), MFNG (manic fringe) and RFNG (radical fringe). LFNG shows the highest catalytic activity in modifying NOTCH. Fringe-created disaccharide chains on NOTCH EGF repeats are further extended by B4GALT1 (beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase 1), which adds galactose to the N-acetylglucosaminyl group, resulting in formation of trisaccharide Gal-beta1,4-GlcNAc-beta1,3-fucitol chains. Formation of trisaccharide chains is the minimum requirement for fringe-mediated modulation of NOTCH signaling, although fringe-modified NOTCH expressed on the cell surface predominantly contains tetrasaccharide chains on EGF repeats. The tetrasaccharide chains are formed by sialyltransferase(s) that add sialic acid to galactose, resulting in formation of Sia-alpha2,3-Gal-beta1,4-GlcNAc-beta1,3-fucitol. Three known Golgi membrane sialyltransferases could be performing this function: ST3GAL3, ST3GAL4 and ST3GAL6. The modification of NOTCH by fringe enzymes modulates NOTCH-signaling by increasing the affinity of NOTCH receptors for delta-like ligands, DLL1 and DLL4, while decreasing affinity for jagged ligands, JAG1 and JAG2.