MGAT1
MGAT1 (alpha-1,3-mannosyl-glycoprotein 2-beta-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, also known as GnT-I, GLCNAC-TI, GNT-1, MGAT and GLYT1) is a medial-Golgi enzyme that initiates complex N-linked carbohydrate formation. It is essential for converting high-mannose N-glycans into hybrid and complex forms. Browse Assay Genie's current range of MGAT1 research reagents below, or read on for the biology behind the target.
MGAT1 is a glycosyltransferase that initiates the formation of complex N-linked carbohydrates. Its activity is essential for the conversion of high-mannose N-glycans to hybrid and complex N-glycans, making it a gatekeeper step in the maturation of glycoproteins as they transit the Golgi. The enzyme is described as UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:alpha-3-D-mannoside beta-1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I, and it acts within a wider set of more than 100 glycosyltransferases believed to build protein-bound and lipid-bound oligosaccharides.
The MGAT1 gene is encoded by a single exon, and several variants encoding the same protein have been found. The protein shows the typical features of a type II transmembrane protein. It localises to the Golgi apparatus membrane and the perinuclear region of the cytoplasm, consistent with its description as a medial-Golgi enzyme. It belongs to the glycosyltransferase 13 family, and HGNC places it in the group of mannosyl-glycoprotein N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases. Mouse and rat both have an orthologous Mgat1 gene.
The enzyme has appeared in the literature under several names, including GNT-1, GLCNAC-TI, GnTI, MGAT and GLYT1, and an earlier HGNC name was mannosyl (alpha-1,3-)-glycoprotein beta-1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase. The MGAT1 protein is believed to be essential for normal embryogenesis, which makes it a useful reference point for studies of how N-glycan processing shapes development. Researchers studying glycan maturation often consider it alongside downstream branching enzymes such as MGAT2 and MGAT5.
MGAT1 initiates complex N-linked carbohydrate formation, so it is a central enzyme for studying how high-mannose glycans become hybrid and complex structures.
As a type II transmembrane enzyme of the medial-Golgi, MGAT1 is a useful marker for glycan processing within Golgi compartments.
The protein is believed to be essential for normal embryogenesis, linking N-glycan maturation to early development.
MGAT1 belongs to glycosyltransferase family 13, one of many enzymes building protein-bound and lipid-bound oligosaccharides.
MGAT1 initiates complex N-linked carbohydrate formation. It is essential for converting high-mannose N-glycans into hybrid and complex N-glycans. It is a medial-Golgi enzyme, so it acts on glycoproteins as they are processed during passage through the Golgi apparatus.
MGAT1 is also called GnT-I, GNT-1, GLCNAC-TI, MGAT and GLYT1. Its full name is alpha-1,3-mannosyl-glycoprotein 2-beta-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, and an earlier HGNC name was mannosyl (alpha-1,3-)-glycoprotein beta-1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase. NCBI notes several variants that encode the same protein.
Yes. Mouse and rat each carry an orthologous gene named Mgat1. The human protein is believed to be essential for normal embryogenesis. Check the datasheet of any product for its validated reactivity before using it with a particular species.
Other mannosyl-glycoprotein N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases and N-glycan branching enzymes with products at Assay Genie.
Gene and protein annotations from HGNC, NCBI Gene and UniProt P26572; product specifications from Assay Genie datasheets.