Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40691173›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Structural basis of collagen glucosyltransferase function and its serendipitous role in kojibiose synthesis.

Jeong Seon Kim, Zhenhang Chen, Sara Andrea Espinosa Garcia, Christoph Buhlheller, Botao Zhang, Stephen J Richards, Tingfei Chen, Jingjing Wu, Ronald C Bruntz, Marisa E Gilliam and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Jeong Seon Kim *Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Zhenhang Chen *Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5803-9491
Sara Andrea Espinosa GarciaDepartment of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-7085-0282
Christoph BuhlhellerMedical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Botao ZhangDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Stephen J RichardsDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Tingfei ChenDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Jingjing WuDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Ronald C BruntzDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Marisa E GilliamDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Mitsuo YamauchiDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Adams School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Bo LiangDepartment of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5617-9228
Houfu GuoDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA. houfu.guo@uky.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3659-9399

Funding

Mechanistic and structural insights into a new pro-metastatic collagen glucosyltransferaseR37CA278989 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · PI Houfu Guo · 2024 to 2026
$1.6M
Determining structural features of a collagen lysyl hydroxylase that promotes lung cancer metastasisR00CA225633 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · PI GUO, HOUFU · 2020 to 2022
$730k
NCI NIH HHS R00 CA225633NCI NIH HHS R37 CA278989
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Collagen glucosyltransferases catalyze collagen glucosylation critical for biology and diseases, yet their structural regulation remains unclear. Here, we report crystal structures of a mimiviral collagen glucosyltransferase in its apo form and in complexes with uridine diphosphate (UDP) and the disaccharide product. We reveal that the enzyme forms a homodimer, stabilized by a loop from one subunit locking into a cleft on the other, enabling UDP-glucose binding cooperativity and enzymatic activity, a property conserved in the human homolog. The structures support an induced fit model for UDP interaction. The dimerization also forms an extended cleft flanked by two active sites, likely facilitating collagen recognition. Unexpectedly, the mimiviral enzyme also synthesizes a prebiotic disaccharide kojibiose. An elongated pocket near the active site allows the enzyme to use UDP-glucose and glucose for kojibiose production. We confirm the enzyme's kojibiose synthesis activity in vitro and in vivo. These insights inform glucosyltransferase function and open new avenues for inhibitor development and kojibiose biosynthesis.

Indexed as

CollagenDisaccharidesGlucosyltransferasesCatalytic DomainCrystallography, X-RayGlucoseHumansModels, MolecularProtein MultimerizationUridine DiphosphateUridine Diphosphate GlucoseCollagenDisaccharidesGlucoseGlucosyltransferasesUridine DiphosphateUridine Diphosphate Glucose

Identifiers

PMID40691173
PMCPMC12279948

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.