Meta-Biol

• Pathways

Co-expression of both protein O-mannosyl-transferases 1 and 2 (POMT1 and POMT2; CAZy family GT39) is necessary for enzyme activity, that is mediating the transfer of mannosyl residues to the hydroxyl group of serine or threonine residues of proteins such as alpha-dystroglycan (DAG1; MIM:128239). DAG1 is a cell surface protein that plays an important role in the assembly of the extracellular matrix in muscle, brain, and peripheral nerves by linking the basal lamina to cytoskeletal proteins. Defects in POMT1 (MIM:607423) results in defective glycosylation of DAG1 and can cause severe congenital muscular dystrophy-dystroglycanopathies ranging from a severe type A, MDDGA1 (brain and eye abnormalities; MIM:236670), through a less severe type B, MDDGB1 (congenital form with mental retardation; MIM:613155) to a milder type C, MDDGC1 (limb girdle form; MIM:609308) (Bertini et al. 2011, Wells 2013).
Several mutations are known and mutations causing the severest type A1 form include G76R, Q303*, S727Afs*3, W705Lfs*26 and D723Efs*8 (Beltran-Valero de Bernabe et al. 2002, Godfrey et al. 2007, Mercuri et al. 2009).