Genetic interactions between drosophila sialyltransferase and b1,4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-A genes indicate their involvement in the same pathway

Abstract

Sialylated glycans play a prominent role in the Drosophila nervous system where they are involved in the regulation of neural transmission. However, the functional pathway of sialylation in invertebrates, including Drosophila, remains largely unknown. Here we used a combination of genetic and behavioral approaches to shed light on the Drosophila sialylation pathway. We examined genetic interactions between Drosophila sialyltransferase (DSiaT) and b1,4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (b4GalNAcT) genes. Our results indicated that b4GalNAcTA and DSiaT cooperate within the same functional pathway that regulates neural transmission. We found that b4GalNAcTA is epistatic to DSiaT. Our data suggest an intriguing possibility that b4GalNAcTA may participate in the biosynthesis of sialylated glycans. ©2012 Nakamura et al.