Structural basis of regulated N-glycosylation at the secretory translocon.

Yamsek, Melvin; Ma, Mengxiao; Jha, Roshan; Wan, Yu; Li, Qianru; Zhong, Frank; DeLong, Katherine; Ji, Zhe et al. · Nature · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Most human secretory pathway proteins are N-glycosylated by oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) complexes as they enter the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)<sup>1-3</sup>. Recent work revealed a substrate-assisted mechanism by which N-glycosylation of the chaperone glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94) is regulated to control cell surface receptor signalling<sup>4</sup>. Here we report the structure of a natively isolated GRP94 folding intermediate tethered to a specialized CCDC134-bound translocon. Together with functional analysis, the data reveal how a conserved N-terminal extension in GRP94 inhibits OST-A and how structural rearrangements within the translocon shield the tethered nascent chain from inappropriate OST-B glycosylation. These interactions depend on a hydrophobic CCDC134 groove, which recognizes a non-native conformation of nascent GRP94. Our results define a mechanism of regulated N-glycosylation and illustrate how the nascent chain remodels the translocon to facilitate its own biogenesis.

Medical subject headings