- Chongsaritsinsuk, Joann;
- Steigmeyer, Alexandra;
- Mahoney, Keira;
- Rosenfeld, Mia;
- Lucas, Taryn;
- Smith, Courtney;
- Li, Alice;
- Ince, Deniz;
- Kearns, Fiona;
- Battison, Alexandria;
- Hollenhorst, Marie;
- Judy Shon, D;
- Tiemeyer, Katherine;
- Attah, Victor;
- Kwon, Catherine;
- Bertozzi, Carolyn;
- Ferracane, Michael;
- Lemmon, Mark;
- Malaker, Stacy;
- Amaro, Rommie
Mucin-domain glycoproteins are densely O-glycosylated and play critical roles in a host of biological functions. In particular, the T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing family of proteins (TIM-1, -3, -4) decorate immune cells and act as key regulators in cellular immunity. However, their dense O-glycosylation remains enigmatic, primarily due to the challenges associated with studying mucin domains. Here, we demonstrate that the mucinase SmE has a unique ability to cleave at residues bearing very complex glycans. SmE enables improved mass spectrometric analysis of several mucins, including the entire TIM family. With this information in-hand, we perform molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of TIM-3 and -4 to understand how glycosylation affects structural features of these proteins. Finally, we use these models to investigate the functional relevance of glycosylation for TIM-3 function and ligand binding. Overall, we present a powerful workflow to better understand the detailed molecular structures and functions of the mucinome.