UAMS Biochemistry Faculty - Alan D. Elbein, Ph.D.

The sugar moieties of glycoproteins play important roles in protein folding, protein targeting, protein-sugar interactions and cell-cell adhesion. However, in many cases, the molecular basis for these interactions is unknown. Our studies are designed to understand how portions of these glycoproteins are biosynthesized, and what role they play in the function of glycoproteins. These studies involve purification and cloning of biosynthetic enzymes, identification of novel biosynthetic inhibitors, and studies of function and synthesis in tissue culture cells. A second project in our laboratory is to identify novel target sites for chemotherapy in tuberculosis; these studies are focused on enzymes involved in synthesis of trehalose, a disaccharide of glucose that plays essential rules in the physiology of Mycobaterium tuberculosis.

Pastuszak, I., Drake, R. and Elbein, A.D. (1996) Kidney N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)-1-phosphate kinase, a new pathway of GalNAc activation. J. Biol. Chem., 271, 20776-20782. [Abstract]

Pan, Y.T., Drake, R.R. and Elbein, A.D. (1996) Trehalose-P synthetase of Mycobacteria: Its substrate specificity is affected by polyanions. Glycobiology, 6, 453-461. [Abstract]

Pan, Y.T. and Elbein, A.D. (1996) Inhibition of the trehalose-P-synthetase of Mycobacteria by various antibiotics. Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 335, 258-266. [Abstract]

Zeng, Y., Shabalin, Y., Szumilo, T., Pastuszak, I., Drake, R.R., Szumilo, H. and Elbein, A.D. (1996) Synthesis of aryl-azide derivatives of UDP-GlcNAc & UDP-GalNAc and their use for the affinity labeling of glycosyltransferases and the UDP-HexNAc pyrophosphorylase. Anal. Biochem., 239, 99-106. [Abstract]

Pastuszak, I., O'Donnell, J. and Elbein, A.D. (1996) Identification of the GalNAc kinase amino acid sequence. J. Biol. Chem., 271, 23653-23656. [Abstract]

Muniruzzaman, S., Pan, Y.T., Atkins, B., Izumori, K. and Elbein, A.D. (1996) Inhibition of glycoprotein processing by L-xylulose and L-fructose. Glycobiology, 6, 795-803. [Abstract]

Zeng, Y., Pan, Y.T., Asano, N. and Elbein, A.D. (1996) Homonojirimycin and N-methylhomonojirimycin inhibit N-linked oligosaccharide processing. Glycobiology, 7, 297-304. [Abstract]

Park, S., Pastuszak, I., Mengeling, B.J., Turco, S.J. and Elbein, A.D. (1997) Synthesis and utilization of GDP-D-arabinopyranoside. Anal. Biochem., 244, 321-327. [Abstract]

Goldman, A., Message, B., Tepfer, D.A., Molyneux, R.J., Duclos, O., Boyer, F.-D., Pan, Y.T. and Elbein, A.D. (1996) Biological activities of the nortropane alkaloid, calystegine B2 and analogs: Structure-function relationahips. J. Natur. Prod., 59, 1137-1142. [Abstract]

Johns, B.A., Pan, Y.T., Elbein, A.D. and Johnson, C.R. (1997) Synthesis and biological evaluation of aza-C-disaccharides: (1®6), (1®4), (1®1) linked sugar mimics. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 119, 4856-4865.

Pan, Y.T., Xu, B., Rice, K., Smith, S., Jackson, R. and Elbein, A.D. (1997) Specificity of the high mannose recognition site between Enterobacter cloacae pili adhesin and HT-29 cell membranes. Infection and Immunity, 65, 4199-4206. [Abstract]

Park, S., Pastuszak, I., Drake, R. and Elbein, A.D. (1998) Purification to homogeneity and properties of pig kidney L-fucokinase. J. Biol. Chem. 273, 5685-5691. [Abstract]

Zeng, Y., Bannon, G.A., Thomas, V.H., Rice, K., Drake, R.R. and Elbein, A.D. (1997) Purification and specificity of plant a-1,2-xylosyltransferase: An enzyme that contributes to the allergenicity of some plant proteins. J. Biol. Chem. 272, 31340-31347.

Bell, A.A., Pickering, L., Watson, A.A., Nash, R.J., Pan, Y.T., Elbein, A.D. and Fleet, G.W.J. (1997). Synthesis of casuarines (pentahydroxylated pyrrolizidines) by sodium hydrogen telluride-induced cyclisations of azidodimesylates. Tetrahedron Letts., Vol. 38., 33, 5869-5872.

Pastuszak, I., Ketchum, K., Hermanson, G., Sjoberg, E.J., Drake, R. and Elbein, A.D. (1998) GDP-L-fucose pyrophosphorylase: Purification, cDNA cloning, and properties of the enzyme. J. Biol. Chem. 273, 30165-30174. [Abstract]

Zeng, Y. and Elbein, A.D. (1998) Purification to homogeneity and properties of plant glucosidase I. Arch. Biochem Biophys. 355, 26-34. [Abstract]

Sunthankar, P., Pastuszak, I., Rooke, A., Elbein, A.D., Rijn, I.V., Canfield, W.M. and Drake, R.R. (1998) Synthesis of 5-azido-UDP-GlcNAc photoaffinity analogs and radiolabeled UDP-N-acetylhexosamines. Anal. Biochem. 258, 195-201. [Abstract]

Wang-Gillam, A., Pastuszak, I. and Elbein, A.D. (1998) A 17-amino acid insert changes UDP-N-acetylhexosaminepyrophosphorylase specificity from UDP-GalNAc to DP-GlcNAc. J. Biol. Chem. 273, 27055-27057. [Abstract]

Ning, B. and Elbein, A.D. (1999) Purification and properties of mycobacterial GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 362, 339-345. [Abstract]

Ning, B. and Elbein, A.D. (2000) Cloning, expression and characterization of the pig liver GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase. Eur. J. Biochem. 267, 6866-6874. [Abstract]

Kyosseva, S., Owens, M., Elbein, A.D. and Karson, C. (2001) Differential and region specific activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases following chronic administration of phencyclidine in rat brain. Neuropsychopharm. 27, 267-277. [Abstract]

Kyosseva, S., Elbein, A.D., Hutton, T.L., Griffen, S.T., Mrak, R.E., Sturner, W.Q. and Karson, C.N. (2001) Increaased levels of transcription factors Elk-1, cAMP response element-binding protein, and activating transcription factor 2 in the cerebellar vermis of schizophrenic patients. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 57, 685-691. [Abstract]

Klutts, S., Pan, Y.T. and Elbein, A.D. (2002) Biosynthesis of D-arabinose in Mycobacterium smegmatis,: Specific labeling from D-glucose. Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 398, 229-239. [Abstract]

Ohta, M., Pan, Y.T., Laine, R.A. and Elbein, A.D. (2002) Trehalose-based olibosaccharides isolated from the cytoplasm of Mycobacterium smegmatis: Relation to trehalose-based oligosaccharides attached to lipid. Eur. J. Biochem. 269, 3142-3149. [Abstract]

Pan, Y.T., Carroll, J.D. and Elbein, A.D. (2002) Trehalose-P synthase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Cloning, expression and properties of the recombinant enzyme. Eur. J. Biochem. 269, 6091-6100. [Abstract]

Klutts, S., Pastuszak, I., Edavana, V.K., Thampi, P., Pan, Y.T., Abraham, E.C., Carroll, J.D. and Elbein, A.D. (2003) Purification, cloning, expression and properties of mycobacterial trehalose-P phosphatase. J. Biol. Chem. 278, 2093-2100. [Abstract]

Elbein A.D., Pan Y.T., Pastuszak I, and, Carroll D. (2003) New insights on trehalose: a multifunctional molecule. Glycobiology vol. 13 no. 4 pp. 17R,- 27R. [Abstract]

Todorova, V. K., Elbein, A.D., and Kyosseva, S. V. (2003) Increased expression of c-jun transcription factor in cerebellar vermis of patients with schizophrenia. Neuropsychopharmacology 28, 1506-1514. [Abstract]

Edavana., V-K., Pastuszak, I. and Carroll,J.D., Thampi, P., Abraham, E.C. and Elbein, A.D. (2004) Cloning and expression of the trehalose-Pphosphate phosphatse of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Comparison to the enzyme from M.smegmatis. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 426, 250-257. [Abstract]

Pan Y.T., Edavana,V.K.,W. Jourdian J., Edmondson R., Carroll D., Pastuszak I. and Elbein, A.D. (2004) Trehalose synthase of Mycobacterium smegmatis: Purification, cloning expression and properties of the enzyme. Eur. J. Biochem, 271, 271-4259-4269. [Abstract]

Pan, Y.T., Carroll, J. David, Asano Naoki, Pastuszak, I, Edavana, V-K, and Elbein, A. D. (2006) Trehalose Synthase Converts Glycogen to Trehalose. FEB In Press.