Structure and Dynamics of N-Glycosylated Human Ribonuclease 1

Glycosylation is a common modification that can endow proteins with altered physical and biological properties. Ribonuclease 1 (RNase 1), which is the human homologue of the archetypal enzyme RNase A, undergoes N-linked glycosylation at asparagine residues 34, 76, and 88. We have produced the three individual glycoforms that display the core heptasaccharide, Man(5)GIcNAc(2), and analyzed the structure of each glycoform by using small-angle X-ray scattering along with molecular dynamics simulations. The glycan on Asn34 is relatively compact and rigid, donates hydrogen bonds that cap the carbonyl groups at the C-terminus of an alpha-helix, and enhances protein thermostability. In contrast, the glycan on Asn88 is flexible and can even enter the enzymic active site, hindering catalysis. The N-glycosylation of Asn76 has less pronounced consequences. These data highlight the diverse behaviors of Man(5)GIcNAc(2) pendants and provide a structural underpinning to the functional consequences of protein glycosylation.